Parties to Tumaini Peace Talks and mediators pose in a group photo in Nairobi, Kenya. |File Photo|.
It is nearly seven months since President Kiir of South Sudan requested his Kenyan counterpart to mediate the peace talks between the transitional government of national unity and the holdout opposition groups that refused to sign the 2018 revitalized peace agreement because the deal fell short of addressing the root causes of the 2013 and 2016 civil war that claimed over 400,000 lives, displaced nearly half of the country’s population to neighboring countries and devastated the infrastructures.
Despite reaching nine initial protocols a few months ago, the parties to the peace talks find it difficult to gather momentum to reach a compromise on contentious issues regarding the absorption of the Tumaini initiative into the revitalized peace agreement.
The peace talks follow an opportunity to build inclusive and sustainable peace and to lay a strong foundation for development in South Sudan.
The Parties submitted their positions at the beginning of the negotiations seven months ago, from which the eight protocols were jointly developed.
The current government position during this phase of the negotiations, which was submitted to the mediation with a detailed presentation, arises in response to the eight protocols.
The mediation reviewed the government position paper, identified the issues they raised, consulted the opposition and stakeholders, and incorporated their position into four agenda items, out of which a bridging proposal was developed, and the mediators disclosed.
The Parties and Stakeholders have thus agreed on the key agenda items required to reinvigorate the mediation process.
Based on these agenda items and the input of all Parties and Stakeholders, the mediation has prepared a single negotiating text called the “Draft Framework for the Tumaini Complement to Revitalised Peace Agreement.”
It urges all parties to approach the talks with openness, political goodwill, and a shared commitment to peace for the well-being of the people of South Sudan.
While significant progress has been made, the unity government delegation requested a temporary adjournment to return to Juba for further consultations, triggering the adjournment of this round of talks to mid-January 2025, in Nairobi.
The opposition delegate and former Governor of Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State, Kuel Aguer Kuel, disclosed to the media that the Kenyan President, William Ruto, prevented the main delegate from leaving Nairobi over fears that they may not return to the table for talks, this however, threatens the future of the Tumaini peace initiative.
“President William Ruto of Kenya said, ‘Nobody is going anywhere’. The only break we have is maybe over Christmas. If someone decides to leave, they will be breaking the talks. He said that if consultations are needed, it will be President Ruto himself who will go to consult President Kiir. There are over 50 people from Juba [on the government’s side] here for this maybe some of those will go, but main delegates will not go anywhere,” Kuel said to UN-based Radio Miraya.
Ruto’s move to confine the main delegates drew mixed reactions among the South Sudanese across the world.
The Metropolitan Archbishop and Primate of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Elias Taban, reacted on his social media, expressing fear that William Ruto was trying to impose peace on the people of South Sudan.
“There is no peace by force; it is a joke. Those are clear indicators that contribute to poor implementation; will President Ruto come to Juba to force the implementation?”, he wondered.
Some netizens applauded William Ruto for preventing the main delegates from leaving Nairobi, while others hope that President Kiir leave Juba for Nairobi early next year to finalize the peace talks to restore stability in South Sudan.
“That’s how a president takes his strong decision or giving warning,” Dominik Uku reacted on Facebook, “We need to see the two heads of state in Nairobi next year, 2025 January, finalizing the peace talks because the resources that are being used in that Tumaini initiative are the resources for civil servants.”
A youth leader in the conflict-stricken Yei River County said the Tumaini Initiative is slowly fading, saying Ruto’s directives sound vigorous to the spirit of the peace talks. “It is clear Tumaini is slowly fading, and it is an indication that there is another agreement ahead because it seems a forceful one.”
The mediators of the Tumaini Peace Talks said they remain committed to fostering an inclusive and lasting peace for the people of South Sudan.
They urge all stakeholders to maintain momentum and prioritize the aspirations of South Sudanese citizens for unity, stability, and development.
