By William Madouk
Mediators of Tumaini Initiative have praised the parties involved, for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive agenda for future discussions.
Dr. Mohamed Ali Guyo, the deputy chief mediator, expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the government, opposition parties, and other stakeholders.
“The government, the opposition, and stakeholders have made significant progress. This is a promising day for mediation,” Guyo told journalists after a meeting on Tuesday in Nairobi.
He explained that the agreed-upon agenda consists of “the parties agreed to hold the agenda item that we proposed the first one is about the negotiating parties in terms of clarity of the names of the parties.”
“The second one is the root causes of the conflict and the third is the relationship between R-ARCSS AND Tumaini in terms of reputation, and implementation mechanisms. The last on responsibility sharing these are the agreed items,” he noted.
Dr. Guyo indicated that the parties would begin with the first agenda item, focusing on the root causes of the conflict.
Yesterday, the parties continued working on the clarity of the negotiating parties.
“We hope to reach a consensus before moving on to the root causes of the conflict,” he stated.
He emphasized the importance of establishing a solid foundation for discussions, which will guide the parties as they address critical issues.
“Firstly, the mediation process must address housekeeping matters, providing context and background on the Tumaini process—before and during the initiative, as well as the current phase of negotiation,” he explained.
“This background is essential for ensuring that the parties comprehend the issues and are aligned when we discuss the protocol and the root causes of the conflict,” he added.
He commended the Tumaini parties for returning to the table, stressing that both sides must expedite reaching a peace deal to ensure political stability.
Government rapporteur Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro assured that they are sticking to the terms of reference and directives they were given by the Heads of state.
Meanwhile, Lual Dau mentioned that that they have reached a very important milestone in the peace process.
However, negotiations regarding the Tumaini Initiative have reached a critical point, with notable divisions emerging between the government and the United People’s Alliance (UPA) concerning its implementation framework.
The government has suggested integrating Tumaini into the 2018 Revitalized Agreement, while the holdout groups insist that the Tumaini talks must be treated as a standalone agreement.