Ruto, who met Thursday with holdout opposition groups from South Sudan in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, said the talks will resume in March.

The talks between South Sudan’s transitional government and holdout opposition groups, dubbed Tumaini, meaning hope in Swahili, have been ongoing in Nairobi since last year.

Ruto said in a statement that the mediation process "adjourns until March 2025 to facilitate consultations that will inform the way forward."

In December 2023, President Salva Kiir of South Sudan asked Ruto to assume the lead role in mediating the peace talks, taking over from the community of Sant’Egidio in Rome, Italy.

South Sudan is grappling with significant challenges, including 9 million people requiring humanitarian aid, 7.5 million people experiencing food insecurity, and an influx of more than 1 million returnees and refugees fleeing violence in neighboring Sudan.

Kenyan President William Ruto (center) announced the suspension of the mediation process between the South Sudan government and the Opposition Hold-Out Group on February 21, 2025.