The leader of the opposition United People’s Alliance (UPA), Gen. Pagan Amum, has expressed cautious optimism regarding the ongoing peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya.
The talks, known as the Tumaini Initiative, resumed on Monday under the Kenyan government, after they deadlocked last year. They aim at making peace with opposition groups who refused to join the 2028 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
The different opposition groups have recently formed a coalition called the National People’s Alliance (NPA) to raise their stakes in the talks.
In an interview with Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Gen. Amum voiced doubts about reaching a deal with the government delegation. He criticized the government’s approach, stating that it was not serious about reaching an agreement.
“Talks are progressing well, but our observation is that the government is reneging on the eight protocols we had initialed,” he said.
“The government is reopening what we had already agreed upon for renegotiation, and this is widening the gap between the two sides.”
While Gen Amum remained hopeful about the peace process, he expressed concerns about the government delegation.
“Although we have worked hard to bring peace to our people, I don’t see any real capacity to achieve peace during this round with the current government delegation,” he stated.
Despite his concerns, Gen Amum, who also leads his own opposition faction, Real SPLM, affirmed his group’s commitment to continuing talks with the government.
“On Monday, we discussed how we could proceed with negotiations, and today the government delegation presented its position on the eight protocols. We will review this before presenting our own position in the coming days,” he explained.
Gen Amum also explained the rationale behind the opposition’s recent strategic shift, including the rebranding of their coalition from the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA) to the United People’s Alliance (UPA).
“We have been in talks with the government since last April. We started by coordinating with various opposition factions to present a united front, and this has helped us make progress. Having a united front under the UPA alliance strengthens our position and pushes our struggle for a just peace and governance in South Sudan,” he said.
The opposition leader reiterated the commitment to a negotiated settlement for the country’s crisis, but also acknowledged the possibility of resorting to military options if the peace talks fail.
“We are also uniting our military forces under a single command in South Sudan. For now, we are committed to achieving peace through the Tumaini Initiative. We are fully behind the peace process. However, the main obstacle is the government’s renewed position. If we fail to reach peace soon, it will be due to the government’s lack of commitment and repeated breaches of agreements. In that case, we will have no choice but to continue our struggle by all means necessary for genuine peace,” Gen Amum.