By Bosco Bush
South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA) has blamed the National Unity Government of South Sudan for deliberately delaying the resumption of the Tumaini peace talks.
SSOMA claims that the government’s appointment of what it describes as “anti-Tumaini elements” to its new delegation signals a lack of commitment to a peaceful resolution.
The Office of the Chief Mediator for the Tumaini Peace Initiative announced on November 11, 2024, that the talks would resume and last for two weeks.
However, the government delegation has yet to appear at the designated venue in Nairobi, Kenya.
Commenting on the delay, Lual Dau, Secretary-General and Spokesperson of SSOMA and Opposition Groups stated, that the government’s change of delegation demonstrates their unwillingness to reach a consensus in the Tumaini peace process.
“To our dismay, the R-TGONU has changed its delegation after having negotiated and agreed to the Tumaini Consensus. The new delegation is largely composed of Anti Tumaini elements,” he said.
“With that, it is clear the Government is reneging on the Tumaini Consensus which it had negotiated. This shows the serious lack of good faith and unwillingness to conclude the Tumaini peace process,” Dau stated.
This, he said, “explains why the Government failed to turn up for the signing of the Tumaini Consensus on 16 September 2024 as agreed by the Parties and Stakeholders.”
Dau further noted that the Opposition and Stakeholders remain at the negotiating table and have been patiently waiting for the Government delegation to return with the hope of striking a deal at the end of discussions.
Last week, President Salva Kiir appointed a new 15-member negotiating team, led by Senior Presidential Advisor Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk, tasked with engaging holdout groups to reach an agreement on the political instability.
The formation of this new government delegation came after a meeting of the Presidency which emphasized the need for an expedited conclusion to the talks between the government and opposition holdout groups under the Tumaini (Hope) consensus in Nairobi.
During the meeting, the country’s top political leaders from various parties stressed the urgency of finding a comprehensive solution to the ongoing political impasse.
The Tumaini Peace Initiative, launched on May 9, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, is a high-level mediation effort aimed at addressing the conflict in South Sudan by incorporating all holdout groups that have not signed the 2018 R-ARCSS (Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan).