By Yiep Joseph
Tumaini Peace Initiative in Nairobi, Kenya, between South Sudan government and non-signatories to 2018 peace agreement, South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance, has been postponed until next year due to lack of consensus following heated debates.
Discussions between the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) and SSOMA, along with other opposition groups, have faced ongoing challenges since the relaunch of the talks in early December 2024.
In a press release dated December 14, 2024, the Tumaini High-Level Mediation for South Sudan announced that talks would be adjourned until mid-January 2025.
“The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGONU) delegation has requested a temporary adjournment to return to Juba for further consultations. The mediation will resume in mid-January 2025, in Nairobi,” the statement partly read.
Relaunched on December 4, Tumaini peace talks were expected to be discussed within a 14-day timeframe to seal a deal and present it as a Christmas gift for the people of South Sudan.
While speaking to Radio Miraya in Nairobi, Puot Kang, the deputy chairperson of the government delegation to the Tumaini Peace Initiative, announced that the parties concluded with a postponement.
“We concluded with mediation that there is a need for adjournment for a break so that each group can go back to the leadership, brief them, and make suggestions where necessary. They may approach the document as it is, making observations in the document, or propose anything that is important to be considered by the mediation,” Puot said.
He added that government delegation would brief the Presidency comprising President Salva Kiir, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, and other vice presidents to seek advice on what next.
“The document that we came with is the document that was passed by the Presidency in Juba. These are their observations. We brought them here on their behalf, but if there is anything we found on the table, we are also on duty to take it back to the people who sent us,” he said.
“If they form a new position, we will bring the new position to the table,” Puot said.
He refuted the claims that talks have collapsed, adding that the team is only going back for a break and will be back to continue with the talks.
“The talks have not collapsed; we are only going for a break. We will come back to Nairobi and continue with the negotiation.” Pout Kang said.
“The serve as with this draft this morning all of us and as the government delegation we say, ‘Well, we will take the draft back to the leadership that sent us; we will look at the draft and make our responses when we come back to Nairobi,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lual Dau, Secretary General of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (and Other Opposition Groups), revealed that parties were requested by Kenyan President William Ruto not to adjourn the talks.
“Yesterday the mediation informs the parties and stakeholders about the decision of the principal mediator, His Excellency Dr. William Ruto, president of the Republic of Kenya, who requested the parties to not adjourn the talks and urged them to continue with talks until the process is achieved and to bring peace to the suffering people of South Sudan as a Christmas gift,” he said.
Lual added that the opposition delegation remained committed to completing the outstanding issues with the hope of achieving peace.
“The opposition remained committed to finalizing responsibility sharing, protocol as the only outstanding issue to conclude the Tumaini initiative with the signing of the Tumaini consensus as a rescue plan so as to usher in continued sustainable peace and democracy,” he said.
Positives
The mediators in the statement revealed that the parties and stakeholders have agreed on the key agenda items required to reinvigorate the mediation process, which include the relationship between the Tumaini Initiative and the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), among others.
The mediators also expressed that the second phase of talks came up with a draft framework for the Tumaini Complement to R-ARCSS, which will be used when the talks resume.
Although the postponement of the talks received criticism from the population, with others terming it the end of the talks, the government delegation expressed commitment to the talks, citing that they were only going for a short break to carry out consultation in Juba.
Meanwhile, recently a political analyst who has been keenly following the trends surrounding the Tumaini initiative described the deadlock as a manifestation of the transactional behaviour of the political elites rooted in personal and interpersonal political calculus around the throne of power earned through the elites’ power-sharing.
Prof. Dr. Luka Biong, in an opinion piece seen by this outlet, permeates the pros and cons of the Tumaini Peace Initiative in 3 marginal points, namely, new diplomatic shuttling, postponement of talks, and breakdown of talks.
To unlock the deadlock, the analyst suggested President William Ruto and the mediation team need to visit Juba again and ensure clear directives to the delegation of the government about the joint communique and urge the delegation to accept the parallel discussion of concerns raised by the government about the eight protocols and responsibility sharing advanced by the opposition.
However, Prof. Biong said the risk of this scenario is that Kenya may run out of patience in continuing to invest in such a futile mediation with no hope for a credible peace deal to be implemented.