Kiir seen warming to peace process as five detainees return

Some of the former detainees with President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) at State House. PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI 

By FRED OLUOCH, TEA Special Correspondent

In Summary

• Juba is upbeat that the return of the advance team led by former Cabinet affairs minister, Deng Alor, is an indication that it is just a matter of time before the remaining five return.
• The initiative of bringing the former detainees back is in preparation to kick start the stalled peace processes set to begin on June 8 in Addis Ababa.

The warm reception of five former detainees in Juba on Monday after over one year in exile signals that President Salva Kiir is this time prepared to embrace a lasting peace.

Juba is upbeat that the return of the advance team led by former Cabinet affairs minister, Deng Alor, is an indication that it is just a matter of time before the remaining five return.

While receiving the five at the State House in Juba, President Kiir noted his pleasure to have some of his former ministers back.

"I am happy to receive my comrades back and wish to sincerely thank Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta for hosting them all this time and for wholeheartedly supporting the peace effort," said Kiir.

However, the government spokesperson Michael Makuei maintained that there was no need for special reception party because they were returning home as ordinary citizens with no official status.

But he noted that the families of the former detainees are free to receive them in the way they wish provided that it did not undermine security and public order.

The rebels led by Dr Riek Machar are yet to take advantage of the presidential pardon given in March in the spirit of the Arusha Accord that seeks to reunite the three SPLM factions.

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The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) has sought to reconcile rebels under former Vice President Riek Machar with the government under President Salva Kiir while the Arusha process, sponsored by ANC of South African and CCM of Tanzania, seeks to reconcile splinter SPLM groups.

The initiative of bringing the former detainees back is in preparation to kick start the stalled peace processes set to begin on June 8 in Addis Ababa.

READ: Former South Sudan detainees set out to reunite factions

"The merging of the two processes is in pursuit of sustainable peace and security in the youngest nation in the Horn of Africa and we urged the parties to fully cooperate to achieve the same,” said Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet secretary, Amina Mohamed.

The five were accompanied to the Juba State House by South African deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenya's Foreign Affairs minister Amina Mohamed and her Ethiopian counterpart Tedros Adhanom, and Tanzania’s Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) secretary-general Abdulrahman Kinana.

The former detainees included Mr Alor, former Finance minister Kosti Manibe, Dr Majak D’Agoot who was deputy minister Defence, former Sports minister Cirino Hiteng and former Justice Minister John Luk.

The 10 have been in Kenya since February 2013 when President Uhuru Kenyatta successfully negotiated their release with President Salva Kiir.