UN urges parties to Kenya-led peace talks to compromise on protocols

JUBA – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan on Tuesday urged the government and opposition groups at the ongoing peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya, dubbed “Tumaini,” to make genuine compromises on the protocols to reach a deal.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference in Juba on Tuesday, Nicholas Haysom, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of UNMISS, urged the parties to find a formula to align the Tumaini peace initiative with the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

“On Tumaini, we are, like yourselves, watching from Juba what is taking place, encouraging the parties to find a compromise, and in particular we understand that they are struggling to find a formula in which the Tumaini initiative and the R-ACRSS are associated,” Haysom said.

Haysom urged the parties to seek a solution that meets the needs of the people rather than the individual parties.

“And we wish them every luck in doing that without wanting to back one or the other side, but wanting to stress the importance of a solution that meets the needs of the people rather than the individual parties,” he said.

He commended the parties to the 2018 peace deal and the non-signatory groups for resuming the Tumaini talks in Nairobi.

“This has given the South Sudanese people hope that their leaders are working in their best interests, and I urge everybody in Nairobi to seize this opportunity to transcend their differences and work towards the greatest good for their people.”

The talks are part of the Tumaini Initiative, launched on May 9, 2024, to end conflict between the transitional unity government and hold-out opposition parties.

The government and opposition parties signed nine protocols during the first round of talks in May, and the two sides are yet to agree on the sticking issues that are delaying the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement.

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

Kiir expressed frustration with the stalled progress in Rome, stating that the discussions with opposition groups had failed to yield a lasting solution.

However, the Kenya-led peace talks encountered a setback in July, when some South Sudanese government representatives raised concerns over specific mechanisms proposed in the negotiations.

The Tumaini Initiative includes participation from major holdout groups, including the Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Pagan Amum; the South Sudan United Front, led by former SSPDF Chief of Staff Paul Malong Awan; and the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A), under the leadership of Gen. Stephen Buoy Rolnyang.

The involvement of these groups is critical to achieving a comprehensive peace deal, as they represent significant factions outside the revitalized 2018 peace agreement