Pagan Amum, leader of the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and team leader of the opposition groups to the Tumaini Peace Initiative, has called on the new government delegation to recommit to the previously agreed consensus protocols.
The talks are part of the peace process launched in May 2024. It aims to mediate conflicts involving holdout opposition groups that have yet to endorse the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
Nine protocols have already been agreed upon, marking significant progress in the peace negotiations.
However, the talks encountered a setback in July when some government representatives raised concerns over specific mechanisms proposed in the negotiations.
Speaking at the resumption of the talks in Nairobi on Wednesday, Amum said the agreement could go well in Kenya, but many new concerns that came up during the consultations by the government delegation in Juba could derail the process.
“On behalf of the opposition, I come before you here today with a profound sense of responsibility and hope as we reconvene to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to bringing sustainable peace to our people, who have been enduring widespread insecurity, severe economic hardship, inter-communal violence land disputes and unprecedented natural disasters that aggravate the situation and threaten the country,” Amum said.
“As mentioned, our team, the former government delegation and the stakeholders have negotiated and agreed on the Tumaini consensus protocols. We urge the new government delegation to recommit to the consensus and maintain the same spirit that the previous delegation had so as to finalize the remaining protocols on responsibility sharing,” Amum added.
“We, the opposition, are resolute in our quest for a lasting peace built upon previous efforts, including the unimplemented provisions of R-ARCSS using robust mechanism agreed in the Tumaini consensus. This would allow the country to end the cycle of failed transitional governments and the extensions, paving the way for our first democratic elections,” he added.
For his part, Gen Kuol Manyang Juuk, the head of the government delegation to the peace talks, said the new government delegation was committed to ending the initiative well for the attainment of durable peace.
“My team and I have been delegated by the Presidency to negotiate and return to the country with peace. I have been mandated to request President Ruto and the mediators to redouble their efforts to persuade Gen Thomas Cirillo, Gen Simon Gatwech Dual and others to join the Tumaini Initiative so that we can have a comprehensive approach to bringing peace to South Sudan.
“We want to have peace which includes everyone willing to engage. I would like to acknowledge the role of Kenya as I send my gratitude to the people of Kenya for hosting this initiative,” Juuk said
He said it was important to recognize the contribution of the opposition groups to the peace talks.
“We acknowledge and honour our brothers in the opposition, many of who are former SPLA commanders who played great roles in the liberation struggle, for example, Gen Pagan Amum, Oyai Deng Ajak, Gen Paul Malong and Gen Stephen Buoy,” he said.
Juuk said it was essential to reaffirm the foundation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement as the cornerstone for the peace process.