Machar concerns on Nairobi talks must be addressed, say activists

NAIROBI – The main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition’s (SPLM-IO) concerns about the Nairobi peace talks should be considered and addressed, two South Sudanese civil society leaders say.

The main armed opposition group on Wednesday rejected the Tumaini initiative’s proposal for new institutions, arguing they would duplicate or replace existing ones under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Thursday, Deputy Chairperson for the South Sudan Civil Society Alliance Dabek Mabior suggested integrating the Tumaini deal’s details into the 2018 agreement rather than creating a separate accord.

“We do believe that peace is a long process, so the Tumaini initiative for South Sudan should build up the R-ARCSS,” he said, referring to the peace agreement. “The logic of coming with a new agreement will create conflict.”

“We call upon the chief mediator of the Tumaini initiative for South Sudan to reconsider the concerns raised by SPLM-IO and to reconcile the views from different parties,” he added.

Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said the Tumaini peace initiative should be treated as an annex to the 2018 agreement.

“There is fear of opening up a window for responsibility sharing, but the restructuring is strengthening institutions that are assigned to South Sudanese actors,” Yakani said.

The talks between the transitional government and non-signatory opposition groups to the revitalized peace agreement begun on May 9^th, 2024, and is being mediated by the Kenyan government on the request of President Salva Kiir.