By Yiep Joseph
Leadership of the Umbrella of Other Political Parties (UOPP) has expressed support toward the Tumaini initiative and called for the negotiating team never to deviate from the agreement signed in 2018.
According to a statement extended to the media, Charles Mido Awejok, Deputy Chairman of the Umbrella of Political Parties (UOPP), warned negotiators from deviating from the 2018 R-ARCISS as talks resume.
“Tumaini initiative shouldn’t deviate from the image of Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS) that was signed in Khartoum in 2018,” Mido said.
He said that the Tumaini initiative should focus on incorporating the holdout groups into the government rather than creating different agreement.
“Tumaini is not a new agreement but an initiative. It is a matter of inclusion of part of SSOMA into the R-ARCSS as an annex, he said.
The group appreciated President Salva Kiir for supporting the resumption of the talks and vowed to back the initiative.
Mido appealed to the holdout group and the government to show compromises during the negotiation in order to achieve inclusive peace in the country.
“Political stability will end the suffering of our people; let us not look at the Tumani peace initiative as about the positions, but it will discuss major political issues facing the nation, and also our brothers in Tumaini join in nation-building programs,” he said.
He said that the country continues to face a lot of challenges, such as instability and economic crisis, adding that there is a need for the leaders to focus on reaching solutions.
Mido added that the success of the Tumaini required sustained international support and strong leadership from political party leaders in the country.
He expressed that the group supported the Tumaini initiative with hope to attain inclusive peace.
“The leadership of the umbrella of political parties under Hon. Peter Mayen, former minister of humanitarian and disaster management, welcomed and supported the Tumaini peace initiative process in Nairobi, Kenya,” he said.
The Tumaini Initiative, a peace talks between the South Sudan government and opposition parties that did not sign the 2018 peace agreement, was recently reported to have hit a roadblock.
However, it recently resumed after President Salva Kiir and his counterpart, Kenyan President William, called for immediate resumption after their meeting in Juba.
According to a draft joint communique extended to the media, President Kiir and President Ruto directed the mediation team to reconvene and resolve outstanding issues within two weeks to finalize the mediation process.
“Their Excellences appreciated that parties had reached an agreement on nine protocols that have been initialed so far,” the draft said.
The two leaders, according to the draft communique, agreed to secure regional endorsement of the Tumaini Initiative and urge IGAD to mobilize resources and goodwill of the international community, including the Troika group of nations, to enable full implementation of the peace initiative.
The Tumaini Initiative was launched on May 9, 2024, in Nairobi.
It is a high-level mediation for the conflict in South Sudan by incorporating all the holdout groups that have not signed the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.
In December 2023, South Sudan’s President Kiir requested President Ruto take over the mediation lead from the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome, Italy, saying that the talks with the opposition group had taken long without reaching a solution.
The Kenya-led peace talks halted in July after some government representatives raised concerns over some peace mechanisms adopted in the negotiations.
The holdout groups participating in the Kenya-led Tumaini Initiative peace process include the Real-Sudan.
People’s Liberation Movement, led by Pagan Amum; the South Sudan United Front, led by Paul Malong Awan, the former chief of staff of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF); and the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A), led by Gen. Stephen Buoy Rolnyang.