Rebel leaders threaten to boycott Nairobi peace talks over security law

JUBA – South Sudan opposition groups involved in a Kenya-led peace negotiation known as the ‘Tumaini Initiative’ with the transitional government threatened to pull out of the talks on Monday, accusing the ruling party of undermining the process with the passage of a controversial security bill.

The groups, including the Real-SPLM led by Pagan Amum, the South Sudan United Front (SSUF) led by Paul Malong Awan, the South Sudan People’s Movement (SSPM) led by Stephen Buay Rolnyang, and the National Agenda for South Sudan Revolutionary Command Council (NAS) led by General Mario Loku Thomas, condemned the passage of the National Security Service (NSS) bill.

The bill, passed by a divided parliament on Wednesday last week, grants the intelligence agency sweeping powers to search, arrest, detain and monitor citizens without warrants.

“The many crises facing South Sudan is deeply rooted in bad governance and human rights violations, and there is no agency in South Sudan that has deviated from its constitutional mandate more than the National Security Service. This agency has reproduced the archaic Khartoum regime in Juba, and it has instituted a reign of terror and intimidation,” the group said in a joint a statement extended to Sudans Post.

“Therefore, the democratic gains made by the people of South Sudan through the 2011 Referendum and Declaration of Independence: the ideals our people fought for have all been quashed using the National Security Service. It is utterly shocking that a parliament which purports to represent the people could be intimidated into giving such a notorious agency the power to terrorize our people and burry their hopes for freedom and rule of law,” they added.

They also condemned the National Elections Commission’s announcement of national elections for December 22, 2024, as an act of bad faith. The group emphasized that “the Tumaini Initiative will not run on the timelines of the R-ARCSS” and warned that unilateral decisions would be considered acts of bad faith, overshadowing the current peace process. They called for an inclusive National Constitutional Conference to establish a democratic Permanent Constitution before any legitimate elections could take place.

“Our position is neither the extension nor the scheduling of elections is warranted at the moment, especially as we are deeply engaged in peace talks in Nairobi. The Tumaini Initiative is the only mechanism which can usher in a new political dispensation and hold the first democratic elections in the country,” they said.

“Any unilateral decision on these issues, and outside the Tumaini Initiative will be considered acts of bad faith and will cast a dark shadow on the current peace process. The people of South Sudan demand to restore their right to elect their government in periodic, free, fair and peaceful elections,” they added.

The statement concluded with an appeal to the international community to support the Tumaini Initiative and pressure those undermining the peace talks.

“We urge the government of South Sudan and President Kiir in particular to exercise leadership and cease unilateral actions that undermine the peace negotiations,” the opposition leaders said.