South Sudan opposition faction rejects Ruto-led peace talks

A faction of the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) has announced its decision not to participate in the Kenya High-level Mediation for South Sudan, a day after its launch in Nairobi. 

The faction, according to Radio Tamazuj, cited safety concerns regarding the venue and the lack of response to their request to continue talks in Rome, Italy, with Community Sant'Egidio as co-mediators.

The SSOMA faction, consisting of the National Salvation Front (NAS) of General Thomas Cirillo Sawaka, the National Democratic Movement-Patriotic Front (NDM-PF) and the South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC) led by Alex Yatta Lukadi, expressed its position in a statement signed by the group's Secretary General and leader of the NDM-PF, Emmanuel Ajawin. 

The statement outlined SSOMA's commitment to peaceful political engagement with the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) in Rome, Italy, under the auspices of Community Sant'Egidio. "SSOMA would like to clarify to its members, the people of South Sudan, and the members of the International Community that it is not a participant in the Kenyan peace mediation process," the opposition said in a statement sent to the media.

It added, "The Rome Initiative is a credible process that provides an environment for free, open, and transparent discussions devoid of any coercion or intimidation. However, it should be noted that the Rome Initiative dragged on for a long time because the government was intransigent, deployed delaying tactics, and obstructed discussions about the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan."

It highlighted SSOMA's engagement in the Rome Initiative, culminating in the signing of various agreements aimed at resolving the conflict's root causes.

SSOMA expressed disappointment with the Kenyan mediation process, citing concerns over the venue's safety, the lack of response to their request for talks to continue in Rome, and the focus on implementing the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) rather than addressing the conflict's root causes.

Presidents William Ruto addresses African heads of state and delegates at the launch of the South Sudan Mediation Process chaired by Lazarus Sumbeiywo at State House, Nairobi on Thursday, May 10, 2024. (Photo: PCS)

"The government delegation expressed their interest in continuing the negotiations on security and humanitarian issues, while SSOMA presented the concept of the Roundtable Conference as the appropriate framework to bring all stakeholders together to find solutions to the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan. The idea is to open political space for all South Sudanese to participate as legitimate stakeholders in the search for peace in South Sudan. The R-TGONU delegation rejected SSOMA's way-forward approach and requested to adjourn the meeting as they demanded to return home for consultations. They also requested that SSOMA write a detailed report about the concept of the "Roundtable Conference" and share it with them and Community Sant'Egidio," SSOMA explained. 

"While SSOMA was waiting for a notice from Sant'Egidio about the resumption of talks, SSOMA was shocked to learn on December 26, 2023, from social media about the unilateral decision of President Salva Kiir transferring the mediation process to President William Ruto of Kenya with Nairobi as the venue. Juba seems to want a venue and environment where the opposition will be intimidated, coerced, and forced to sign a flawed agreement, as was the case with the R-ARCSS in 2018 in Khartoum, Sudan."

The faction emphasised its commitment to the Rome Initiative and its readiness for peaceful dialogue to resolve the conflict's root causes. It called for a Roundtable Conference to bring together all South Sudanese stakeholders to address issues of social justice, unity, governance, rule of law, and development as the foundation for lasting peace.

SSOMA expressed its best wishes for President William Ruto's Kenyan mediation while reaffirming its dedication to the Rome Initiative as a credible process for resolving the South Sudan conflict.

Ruto, on Thursday, May 9, witnessed the launch of the South Sudan Mediation Process at State House, Nairobi, chaired by Lazarus Sumbeiywo, the chief mediator in the conflict between hold-out groups and the government in Juba.

The President stated that Kenya undertakes to be at the centre of the South Sudan mediation process and that Africa cannot afford further conflicts.

"As leaders, we must live up to our responsibilities. We are persuaded that this inclusive initiative will sustain durable peace, stability, and progress in South Sudan and East Africa.

Present at the event were presidents, Salva Kiir (South Sudan), Lazarus Chakwera (Malawi), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia), Faustin-Archange Touadéra (Central African Republic), Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), Somalia Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and the African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki.