By Yiep Joseph and Deng Ghai Deng
Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, is urging the South Sudanese president to urgently appoint a new leader for the government delegation in the Tumaini initiative.
The call comes after delays in the resumption of peace talks, which were set to begin on November 11, 2024, in Nairobi.
Yakani expressed concern over the failure of the government delegation to show up at the scheduled meeting, a setback attributed to a lack of approval from the president.
Michael Makuei, a senior government official, confirmed that the delegation has not yet received the “green light” to proceed, further delaying the critical discussions.
According to Yakani, some members of the parties involved in the Tumaini initiative have already demonstrated hardened political stances ahead of the resumed negotiations.
The Tumaini initiative, which focuses on resolving key issues in the South Sudanese peace process, is at risk of being derailed if these delays persist.
Yakani emphasized that any further postponement in appointing a new leader for the government delegation would jeopardize the entire process.
“The new leader must be someone who has no track record of opposing the Tumaini initiative,” Yakani said. “Delaying the appointment of the team leader is detrimental. It not only risks further delay of the process but also undermines the progress we have made thus far.”
Yakani also warned that reopening the Tumaini initiative for renegotiation of the original nine protocols could be a “grave mistake” and may either derail the peace process or extend it beyond the agreed two-week deadline.
The two-week window for negotiations was designed to address key unresolved issues and solidify the terms of peace. With the clock ticking and tensions rising, Yakani’s call for swift action from the president is becoming increasingly urgent.
Last week President Salva Kiir relieved Ambassador Albino Mathom Ayuel from his service as presidential special envoy.
Ambassador Mathom was also relieved of his duties, including being the head of the government delegation to the Tumaini Peace Initiative, according to a decree broadcast on state-run television.
However, the decree did not outline why the head of a government delegation was fired at a time when the talks were facing a lot of challenges.
A week ago, Kenyan President William Ruto and South Sudan President Salva Kiir issued a two-week ultimatum in a bid to resolve the ongoing dispute between the government delegation and the holdout groups who were in Nairobi for talks.
Due to this communiqué from the two heads of state, the Tumaini Initiative Chief Mediator, Gen. Lazarus Sumbeiywo, issued a document inviting the parties in the talks to resume the talks this week.
The Initiative was launched on May 9, 2024, in Nairobi; however, it became stranded in the middle after the government delegation came to Juba for consultation and never returned back as requested.
The Tumaini Initiative includes participation from major holdout groups, including the Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Pagan Amum; the South Sudan United Front, led by former SSPDF Chief of Staff Paul Malong Awan; and the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A), under the leadership of Gen. Stephen Buoy Rolnyang.
Major international donors in South Sudan, including the Troika group of nations, have voiced support for the Tumaini Initiative.