President Kiir associates disrupted meeting in Pretoria

JUBA, Aug. 1, 2024 — Members of holdout opposition groups at the Nairobi Tumaini Initiative talks expressed disappointment last week after associates of South Sudan President Salva Kiir canceled their planned meeting with him during his visit to South Africa.
President Kiir departed for Pretoria last Wednesday for bilateral talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and returned home on Sunday. According to multiple credible sources, leaders of the Real SPLM and the South Sudan United Front, Pagan Amum and Gen. Paul Malong, respectively, intended to meet Kiir to discuss the progress and challenges of the Tumaini Initiative in Kenya. One source, who requested anonymity, revealed that Malong and Amum had booked tickets from Nairobi to Pretoria, but the meeting was abruptly canceled by Kiir’s close associates without explanation.
Other sources mentioned sharp divisions within the ruling SPLM Party and among President Kiir’s allies regarding the Tumaini Initiative, perceiving it as a threat to influential political figures. Confusion also arose about the future of the Nairobi Tumaini talks after SPLM-IO withdrew due to concerns.
Launched on May 9, the Tumaini (hope) Peace Initiative aims for a final settlement by including opposition groups that have not signed the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan. Last month, SPLM-IO, led by First Vice-President Riek Machar, withdrew from the Kenyan-mediated talks, expressing dissatisfaction with the recently reached protocols. The party accused the initiative of deviating from its original purpose, particularly regarding the proposed National Leadership Council (NLC), which SPLM-IO argues could wield unchecked power, potentially surpassing constitutional bodies such as the Presidency, the Council of Ministers, the National Legislature, and the National Security Council.
Push for Consensus
Chief mediator Gen. (rtd) Lazarus Sumbeiywo of Kenya told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the mediation was at an advanced stage after parties initialed several protocols. “The parties have initialed six protocols, with three remaining to be discussed or finalized at home. We are very advanced with the Tumaini peace process and trust that in three to four weeks, we will sign an agreement and our brothers and sisters will go back home,” Sumbeiywo said.
Sumbeiywo added that the mediation had briefed leadership in Juba and awaited the government delegation’s return to the talks. “The outlook is bright, and we hope this will be the last time South Sudanese will ever go out to look for peace,” he concluded.