By Kidega Livingstone
South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance and other holdout groups insist on the Unity Government to support the Tumaini Initiative for lasting peace and stability.
In a joint press statement, proponents suggest that the Tumaini Initiative offers the only vital opportunity to leverage the suffering of citizens.
“In a nutshell, the opposition firmly believes that the Tumaini Initiative will lead to permanent peace, stability, and prosperity for all the people of South Sudan,” the state stressed.
It’s on this note that the opposition appeals to the suffering South Sudan to stand up and support the high-level mediation under President Willaim Samoei Ruto’s stewardship because it’s the last hope to reunite the country, heal the nation, and reconcile our communities,” the joint statement continued.
In addition, the parties said the talks give the country another opportunity to navigate out of the current quagmire, rebuild the lives of the people, and to refocus energies on accomplishing historical and generational tasks of state and national building.
“We as South Sudan should seize this golden opportunity of the Tumaini Initiative to focus on rescuing our country, ending the suffering of the people of South Sudan, and ushering the country into permanent peace and a new democratic dispensation,” the state emphasized.
They vow to work jointly with the R-TGoNU, the mediation team, and other stakeholders to ensure that total peace is achieved by silencing the gums all over the country.
The parties view the Tumani Initiative as having well articulated consensus to attain sustainable peace and democracy by implementing agreed interim programs, including the adoption of permanent constitutions.
The groups said that the new approach to achieving sustainable peace in the Republic of South Sudan, comprises, inter alia, a permanent constitution-making process with self-executing mechanisms that address the root cause of the conflict. Citing that, this will provide the means for an even development and provision of services for all.
They advised that the new roadmap to rescue South Sudan comprises several elements that include trust and confidence-building measures, the provision of humanitarian assistance, the establishment of an inclusive government in the responsibility sharing protocol, security sector transformation reform, the implementation of economic recovery programs, intuitional reform in the financial management sector, and carrying out national healing, truth, and reconciliation programs.
However, last week, the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar’s office contest the dimension of the Tumani Initiative, viewing it as intended to swap the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
In the statement, Dr. Machar’s office highlighted seven points against Tumaini Initiative document.