South Sudan opposition leader slams Nairobi talks, backs Machar’s withdrawal

JUBA – The leader of the United Democratic Revolutionary Movement (UDRM) Deng Vanang has criticized the ongoing Kenya-led peace talks, known as the Tumaini Initiative (Hope Initiative), and said main armed opposition leader Riek Machar made the “right” decision by withdrawing from the initiative.

Last week, parties to the Kenya-led talks initialed eight protocols on security, ceasefire, communal violence, arms proliferation, land disputes, trust-building, humanitarian access, and the role of guarantors.

These protocols establish institutions already existing under the revitalized peace agreement signed by President Salva Kiir’s government and the main opposition group in September 2018.

Negotiators say the protocols, reached after months of talks, aim to address critical issues in South Sudan.

Machar, who is also the South Sudan first vice president under the power-sharing agreement of the revitalized pact that ended a five-year civil war, expressed concern that the Tumaini Initiative aimed to replace the existing deal.

In a statement to Sudans Post yesterday, Vanang echoed Machar’s concerns, saying the initiative lacked transparency and appeared more focused on political maneuvering than achieving lasting peace.

“Tumaini Initiative isn’t altruistic in both form and substance. SPLM-IO has taken a step in the right direction in rejecting and withdrawing from the Tumaini Initiative. It is the same courageous political path UDRM/A took back on 19^th of June 2024, though for a slightly different reason,” he said.

Vanang said the UDRM/A withdrew earlier because the Tumaini Initiative became non-inclusive and seemed designed to politically reposition Pagan Amum and Malong Awan, contradicting initial promises by President Kiir and Kenyan President William Ruto.

“UDRM/A withdrew earlier due to Tumaini Initiative becoming non-inclusive or a styled-up project to politically reposition Pagan Amum and Malong Awan in a new political dispensation contrary to What President Salva Kiir, the Initiator, promised Kenya’s President William Ruto, the host and South Sudanese public upon the start of the Initiative,” he said.

Defending the R-ARCSS, Vanang argued it was a superior agreement to the Nairobi proposals. He blamed the slow implementation on President Kiir’s lack of political will.

“Even on all accounts R-ARCSS is far better than Tumaini Initiative. Simply because R-ARCSS was open to inclusivity. What was lacking was an apparent refusal of government and East Africa region to make a better, lasting peace deal for their parochial politico-economic interests detrimental to the future of the country as we all witness today,” he said.

Vanang said Kiir suggested the Tumaini Initiative could address gaps in the R-ARCSS hindering implementation. However, he argued the R-ARCSS is not inherently flawed; it just needs commitment.

“Kiir also alluded to the pronouncement that Tumaini Initiative could be used to fill in the gaps left open in the R-ARCSS that hinder smooth implementation as well as consolidate the same peace document to make it holistic and implementable,” he said.

“R-ARCSS impediment for sure isn’t because it is an irreparable peace deal, it is a lack of political will to implement it which will not only haunt Tumaini itself, but Kiir will also use to get rid of R-ARCSS,” he added.

Vanang urged a renewed focus on implementing the existing agreement, calling for broader involvement from South Sudanese citizens, local stakeholders, regional bodies, and international partners.

He concluded by saying the SPLM-IO should move beyond defending the R-ARCSS and instead seek a new way forward through national dialogue.

“Because South Sudan like old Sudan we came from isn’t short of peace agreements. It is failure to implement peace agreements being the problem South Sudanese of good will and international partners should seriously work on,” he said.

“Therefore, SPLM- IO should still further show the way for national salvation and candid. Thereby not to continue defending the dead horse called R-ARCSS. Instead, should ask the South Sudanese general public, local stakeholders, region, AU, Trioka, EU, etc, on a way forward out of doomsday about to engulf the whole country at any given time,” he concluded.