IGAD says Tumaini initiative should complement 2018 peace deal

JUBA – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has stated that the Kenya-led Tumaini Initiative should complement, rather than replace, the 2018 peace agreement.

The 2018 peace deal, brokered under the auspices of IGAD, helped end South Sudan’s long civil war and paved the way for a post-conflict political transition.

In a keynote address at the ongoing 8th Governors Forum, Amb. Ismail Wais, IGAD’s Special Envoy to South Sudan, emphasized that the Tumaini Initiative is not intended to replace the 2018 peace agreement.

“In this regard, I urge all involved to make the process as inclusive and transparent as possible and to ensure that it is ally and complementary to the R-ACRSS and not parallel to the ongoing peace process under the auspices of IGAD,” Ismail said.

He described the Kenya-led peace talks as a valuable opportunity to achieve lasting peace in South Sudan.

“The Tumaini Initiative provides us with a window of opportunity to create an inclusive sustainable peace in South Sudan. We should take true advantage of it and try to conclude it within the shortest time possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai, Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), commended the government for agreeing to resume the Tumaini Initiative talks in Nairobi.

“It is imperative that this dialogue remains guided by the spirit of compromise, inclusivity, and reconciliation in order to contribute to enduring peace in South Sudan,” said Gituai.

During the first round of talks in May, the government and opposition parties signed nine protocols. However, they have yet to resolve key issues delaying the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement.

In December 2023, President Salva Kiir requested President William Samoei Ruto of Kenya to take over the mediation role from the Community of Sant’Egidio, an Italian peace organization, which had been facilitating the talks in Rome.

Kiir had expressed frustration over stalled progress in Rome, noting that discussions with opposition groups had not produced a lasting solution.

The Kenya-led talks faced a setback in July when some South Sudanese government representatives raised concerns over specific mechanisms proposed in the negotiations.

The opposition parties attending the Nairobi talks include the Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, led by Pagan Amum; the South Sudan United Front, under former SSPDF Chief of Staff Paul Malong Awan; and the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A), under Gen. Stephen Buoy Rolnyang.

The talks are crucial for achieving a comprehensive peace deal, as they represent significant factions outside the revitalized 2018 peace agreement.

“And also, this will also give us the opportunity to learn how to use telephones. Because there are people who use telephones for conversing for over one hour, two hours, three hours.”