The South
Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and opposition groups have
criticized the government for not attending peace talks in Nairobi, despite
receiving a second invitation to the Tumaini Initiative.
On Friday,
the Presidency called for an expeditious conclusion of talks between
the government and opposition holdout groups under the initiative.
The leaders
highlighted that political stability and economic reforms are pivotal for the
nation's recovery, particularly as South Sudan prepares for its first
democratic elections since independence.
To swiftly
facilitate this process, President Salva Kiir appointed a 15-member
negotiation team, led by senior presidential advisor Kuol Manyang Juuk, tasked
with engaging holdout groups to reach an agreement on political instability.
Since then,
the team has yet to travel to the venue, where the first session had been
slated for November 18. As a result, SSOMA Secretary General Lual Dau asserts
that the government lacks the political will necessary to successfully conclude
the peace talks.
“This
repeated abscondment of the R-TGONU shows a dearth of political will to rescue
the State from imminent collapse and total disintegration resulting from its
failure to implement its own agreement, the R-ARCSS, over the past six (6)
years,” Lual says in a press statement issued on Monday.
“This
attitude clearly demonstrates the Government's insensitivity to the plight of
the people of South Sudan.”
Despite the
government’s absence, opposition groups, stakeholders, and international
observers honored the invitation.
Lual
expressed concerns over the country’s humanitarian situation, with civil
servants and security forces not paid for more than 10 months now.
“Whenever the
Government receives money earmarked for paying salaries, it is often diverted
and looted by Cartels,” Lual claimed.
“More
importantly, the Government doesn't care that the population is impacted by the
worst humanitarian disaster, catastrophic floods, persistent communal violence
and rampant insecurity.”
He pointed
out that anti-Tumaini elements make up the majority of the new delegation and
claimed that the government is abandoning the Tumaini consensus that it had
negotiated.
These include
the head of the delegation, who recently openly disapproved of the peace
initiative.
“The
Opposition and Stakeholders remain on the negotiating table and have been
patiently waiting for the Government delegation to return and sign the Tumaini
Consensus as agreed,” he concluded.
Lt-Gen.
Lazaro Sumbeiywo, chief mediator for the Tumaini Initiative, initially
scheduled the resumption of peace talks in Nairobi for November 11, 2024.
Launched in
May 2024 in Nairobi, the Tumaini Initiative, which translates to
"hope" in Swahili, aims to bring together South Sudan's holdout
groups and the government to forge a path toward lasting peace.