SSOMA, Other opposition Groups, and the PCCA Press Statement on the Status of South Sudan Peace Process
TUMAINI INITIATIVE
SSOMA, OTHER OPPOSITION GROUPS, AND THE PCCA
Press Statement on the Status of South Sudan Peace Proces
Nairobi, 13 June 2024
South Sudan is engulfed in a deep national crisis; its social fabric is torn. Its economy is in ruin, reeling under the toxic effects of state capture and runaway corruption. The service delivery system across the country is totally broken with the people of South Sudan denied any social and developmental services. The state is unable to pay the salaries of civil servants, the army, and the police. Notably, South Sudanese diplomats are rendered homeless in foreign capitals. Rampant violence and insecurity have forced hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in the Protection of Civilians (POCs) camps run by the United Nations in South Sudan, including in the national capital, Juba. Inter-communal fighting is widespread. South Sudan is teetering on the precipice of disaster. All Parties agree on the need for it to be rescued.
On this account, we welcome the Tumaini Initiative as a last golden opportunity to rescue South Sudan from collapse and disintegration. We hail the courage shown by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan for reaching out to the Non-Signatory Opposition Groups (NSOG) through his request for President William Samoei Ruto to help resolve the South Sudan crisis.
Further, we commend the positive engagement and messages sent out by President Salva Kiir Mayardit at the State House to the various South Sudanese groups to rescue South Sudan and urging the delegations of the Revitalized-Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGONU) and the opposition to work diligently and collaboratively to attain that cherished goal of rescuing South Sudan.
We hail the leadership and initiative of President William Ruto to help bring peace to the sisterly country of South Sudan and the remarkable way he launched the process by attracting a huge regional, continental, and international presence and support. This constituted the first major success. We also applaud him for re-branding the new South Sudan mediation process as the “Tumaini (Hope) Initiative,” thus sending a fresh wave of hope to the people of South Sudan, the region, and the African continent to achieve a peaceful Africa focused on developing and improving the lives of its peoples. President William Ruto also held a round-table donor meeting with the donor community immediately after the launch to mobilize support for the Tumaini Initiative.
Soon after the restart of the process, the Parties signed the Declaration of Commitments to the Tumaini Initiative – the agenda for the peace talks – constituting the third milestone. The mediation and the Parties added another success by nurturing and building trust and confidence. This was a landmark and unique accomplishment in stark contrast to the previous South Sudan
peace processes. All that has created a conducive environment and positive spirit to address the root causes of the conflict and crisis in South Sudan. Crucially, the Parties committed themselves to abide by whatever agreement they reached.
We are extremely grateful and fortunate that President William Ruto assigned Lt. Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo (Rtd) to bring peace to South Sudan once again. He had previously midwifed the birth of South Sudan as an independent nation-state. Now South Sudan is on the verge of collapse and descent into chaos and turmoil, and Lt. Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo (Rtd) is called upon again to help rescue the country. We are confident in his ability and that of his team, including the Co-Mediator, the Community of Sant’Egidio to guide the Parties to negotiate and craft a rescue plan to usher South Sudan into peace, good governance, and prosperity.
We expect that the initiative will lead to a national constitutional conference in Kenya and South Sudan in two stages. The expected outcome of the conference will be (1) the adoption of a new social contract; (2) a constitutional text; (3) interim governance arrangements with a rescue program; and (4) implementation modalities. We strongly appeal to the region, the continent, and
the international community to support the people of South Sudan in their search for peace and transition to stability and democracy.
We will inform you from time to time about the progress and challenges of this process. Our core message to the people of South Sudan is this: we aim to rescue South Sudan from the specter of collapse and chaos and embark on the twin processes of state and nation-building to deliver a peaceful, just, and prosperous South Sudan for all. As SSOMA, Other Opposition Groups, and the PCCA, we shall give every investment needed until we achieve this dream.
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