South Sudan opposition factions seek 3–5-year transition, smaller cabinet

JUBA – South Sudan’s opposition groups in the ongoing Kenya-led peace initiative in Nairobi have submitted proposals for a transitional period ranging from three to five years, along with potential reductions in the size of the transitional government.

Civil society leaders involved in the ongoing Kenya-led peace talks told Sudans Post that the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA), led by Generals Paul Malong Awan and Pagan Amum Okiech, favors a five-year transition.

They reportedly propose retaining President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar in their current positions, with a streamlined cabinet of roughly 20 to 21 ministers.

“SSOMA believes the current government is bloated and proposes a slimmed-down cabinet,” said a civil society activist who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The R-ARCISS was signed by the SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO, SSOA (an opposition consortium of eight opposition groups), OPP, and SPLM-FDs. These groups have certain shares of seats including in the collegial presidency and the cabinet.

According to the civil society leader, however, this suggestion has raised concerns about potential discord among the existing parties within the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCISS).

“With a limited number of ministerial positions, some parties already in the current transitional government in Juba fear exclusion,” the source added.

A separate opposition faction, the Patriots Resistance Movement (PRM) led by General Laraka Machar, advocates for a five-year extension with accountability measures for those responsible for wartime atrocities.

Laraka’s proposal aligns with the views of the United Democratic Revolutionary Movement (URDM) and the Nilotic People’s Resistance Movement, who share the need for both a smaller government and a focus on accountability, according to the civil society activist.

However, Riek Machar, leader of the main opposition group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), has rejected the Kenyan mediators’ draft agreement incorporating these proposals.

In a letter seen by Sudans Post, Machar argues that the draft “disregards” the R-ARCISS and attempts to replace it.

He further criticizes the Kenyan initiative for exceeding its mediation role by “empowering” the Tumaini Initiative, a separate forum involved in the talks, to act as an institution.

Machar maintains that only R-ARCISS signatories hold the authority to amend the agreement. The expected outcome of the Tumaini Initiative, he argues, should be an annex to the R-ARCISS, not a standalone document.