It is with a deep sense of urgency and concern that we, the leaders of the South Sudan United Front-Progressive (SSUF-P), United Democratic Revolutionary Movement/Army (UDRM/A), and Nilotia People Movement/Nilotia People Defense Force (NPM/NPDF), address the issues arising from the ongoing peace process facilitated by the TUMAINI Initiative. Despite the initial promise of inclusivity and comprehensive dialogue as articulated by H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit and H.E. President William Samoei Ruto during the opening ceremony at the State House, Nairobi, the current trajectory of the peace process has deviated significantly from these noble intentions.
South Sudan has endured decades of conflict and instability, resulting in immense suffering and loss of life. The civil war that erupted in 2013 and subsequent conflicts have left the country in ruins, with millions displaced and thousands killed. Unscrupulous leaders like Gen. Paul Malong and Pa’gan Amum, who are now central figures in the TUMAINI Initiative, played significant roles in these conflicts. Both have been implicated in the widespread corruption that has plagued our country. Their actions and inactions at the leadership level of the SPLM during the 2013 conflict have directly contributed to the prolonged suffering of the South Sudanese people.
Gen. Malong, notorious for his role in orchestrating violence and human rights abuses, has been sanctioned due to his reprehensible actions, including the killing of innocent civilians. Similarly, Pa’gan Amum has been at the center of political strategies that have undermined peace and stability and including the national development. To genuinely end the war in South Sudan, there must be international attention and intervention to ensure that the peace process is inclusive and not dominated by those who have historically contributed to the country’s turmoil. Issues Exclusionary practices The mediators have communicated to us that the process primarily revolves around Gen. Paul Malong, Hon. Pa’gan Amum, and Gen. Stephen Buoy Rolnyang. This exclusionary approach is damaging to the peace process and violates the spirit of inclusivity championed by both presidents.
Likewise, it contravenes the TUMAINI Initiative’s Declaration of Commitment signed on May 16, 2024, particularly Paragraph 7, which calls for all parties that have not yet joined to do so and participate actively. Violating this indicates that the process is destined to fail. If the mediators can violate this principle, what justifications will they have if either the government or opposition parties opt to violate it?
Inauthentic peace initiative The TUMAINI Initiative, contrary to its intended purpose, has become a platform for a select few. This initiative was the idea of Malong’s friends in Juba, designed to further their own interests. It was later sold to the President to lend it an air of legitimacy, though in reality, he remains unsuspecting of its true nature. This cunning ploy by a group of friends aims to consolidate power under the guise of succession politics. It cannot genuinely address the needs and aspirations of the South Sudanese people. The two patrons in Juba behind this narrow TUMANINI must know that their desire to destroy the country is unacceptable. Albino Mathem, who is the head of government delegate in the recent past had plotted against president Salva Kiir Mayardit in an attempt to overthrow him and he even went further to join South Sudan United Front/Army under Gen. Paul Malong. How he changed overnight beats the understanding of South Sudanese. Perhaps, together with those controlling him, he is up for the same game. A plan to take few members of their larger group in and then fight the president inside. If peace was for all, why are oppositions who are opting for peace being chased out by other oppositions in their watch?
Compromised integrity of the process The mediators appear to have succumbed to the self-serving narratives of Malong, Pa’gan, and Buoy. These individuals, while previously influential, have contributed significantly to the current turmoil in South Sudan. Their involvement has perpetuated conflict and instability. Their selfish desire to own the TUMAINI Initiative while disregarding other opposition groups has strained the process. While pretending to be people’s representatives, these three are serving their interests rather than the collective good Other important stakeholders that could have been at the TUMAINI Initiative
Other political actors like Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka, Chairman of the National Salvation Front (NAS), and Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual of the SPLM-IO- Kitgwang, among others, have justifiably rejected participation in this flawed process. The mediators’ failure to further persuade these leaders underscores a significant weakness in the inclusivity of the peace process. If the principle of inclusivity was genuinely upheld, the mediators would have persisted in engaging these key figures. Their absence is a clear indication that the TUMAINI Initiative primarily serves Malong, Pa’gan, and Buoy. How can the process claim to bring hope when it excludes substantial factions like NAS, which have legitimate national agenda that needs serious consideration and represent a real threat of armed conflict? Instead, the process favors briefcase parties with no real influence, a move that confirms the initiative is designed by domestic cartels to benefit their friends. In essence, it is a deep state conspiracy.
We call for the following actions. Re-assessment of the TUMAINI Initiative by the Presidents We urge H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit and H.E. President William Samoei Ruto to review and re-assess the current peace process. H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit need to redirect the mediators that all South Sudanese matter and the TUMAINI if genuine, is the only center of gravity for the National Unity. The Equatoria People’s Alliance (APA), like SSUF-P, PRM, UDRM/A, NPM/NPDF need to be onboarded in the process. The two presidents need to ensure that the process is genuinely inclusive and representative of all stakeholders who are committed to peace and stability in South Sudan.
The process should not also contravene the R-ARCSS or any other agreement in existence, however, it should not also conclude with the signing of a surrender agreement which Malong, Pa’gan and Buoy badly need. Essentially, it should produce an implementable agreement. A flawed deal will only prolong the suffering of our people.
Inclusive representation The exclusion of credible actors and the reliance on individuals with a history of perpetuating conflict is a grave mistake. We need a peace process that is truly inclusive of all the parties, the civil society and reflective of all factions dedicated to rebuilding our nation.
Threats by Malong, Pagan and Buoy that if other political organizations were to be part of the TUMAINI Initiative, then they will quit are as hallow as their call for unity. The participants they brought to the peace process are only their kin and kith, too tribal that they cannot champion any national agenda. Leaders should be selfless and of high integrity if they were to be believed, however, the individuals in question are tribal and trivial. If they quit TUMAINI Initiative, what alternatives do they have? They have no military threat and are strained with very minimal membership across the country. The mediators should know that their threats are empty.
Claims that some of them are associated with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are false and must not be entertained. Government of South Sudan must safeguard our national interest by not rewarding those that are meddling into our neighbors’ problem. Acknowledgement that one is a mercenary is not patriotic.
By denying other opposition groups a chance to participate in the peace process that they are not a threat militarily is unacceptable. Violence or threat of violence must not be rewarded. Stop making warlords. We have strong forces; however, we will not stage war. We need peace and our country must recover.
International community intervention We call upon the international community, especially the TROIKA nations to be cautious in funding the TUMAINI Initiative in its current form. Never accept to be guarantors either. It is essential to devise a better, more inclusive approach that genuinely aims for sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan. The international community should support a process that prioritizes the well-being of all South Sudanese and not just a select few.
Finally, the TUMAINI Initiative, as it currently stands, is not a beacon of hope for all South Sudanese but a narrow pathway for Malong, Pa’gan, and Buoy to further their own agendas. Their history of conflict and destruction cannot be overlooked, and their current maneuverings suggest a continuation of past behaviors. We must not allow the peace process to be hijacked by those who have repeatedly failed our nation.
We implore the presidents and the mediators to open their eyes to the realities on the ground and to act in the best interest of South Sudan and its people. Let us work together to build a peace process that is inclusive, transparent, and truly representative of all South Sudanese the statement signed by. Dr. Emmanuel Sunday John Chairman, South Sudan United Front-Progressive (SSUF-P). Prof. Deng Vanang Chairman and Commander-In-Chief United Democratic Revolutionary Movement/Army (UDRM/A Maj. Gen. Peter Choul Gatluak Chairman and Commander-In-Chief Nilotia People Movement/Nilotia People Defense Forces (NPM/NPDF).