03/12/2024
*Updates on the Tumaini Peace Initiative*
Nairobi, December 3, 2024
1. After nearly four and a half months of reduced activities at the Tumaini Peace Initiative, negotiations are set to resume tomorrow, December 4, 2024.
2. The reconstituted delegation of RTGoNU to the talks arrived in Nairobi on Thursday and Friday (November 28 & 29, 2024) and had consultative meetings with the Chief Mediator, Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo on Saturday, November 30, 2024.
3. The purpose of the Chief Mediator’s consultation with the RTGoNU delegation was to bring them up to speed on where things stand with the peace process and to hear their perspectives on the process. The Chief Mediator told the delegation to prioritize South Sudan and the people.
4. Monday, December 1, 2024, the mediation held consultative meetings with holdout Opposition delegation in the morning and Stakeholder delegates in the afternoon. The Stakeholders consist of diverse representatives of civil society, women, youth, faith-based leaders (Christian and Islamic faiths), persons with special needs and diaspora, eminent persons, academia, and the People’s Coalition for Civil Action.
5. In the consultation with Stakeholder delegates, the Mediation shared briefly on their meetings with both RTGoNU and holdout Opposition delegations.
6. After listening to the Mediation, the Stakeholders shared their views. They welcomed the planned resumption of the talks, emphasized the need for the Tumaini Peace Initiative to answer the question “what is new in the process,” and for substantive participation of the Stakeholders in this round of the talks. The Stakeholder delegates said peace signed on paper, is not peace enough unless it translates to peace for the people across the country, and called on the mediation to guide the process so that it is not rushed and does not also drag for unnecessarily too long.
7. In conclusion, the consultations indicated that among the matters arising for the next round of the negotiations is the relationship between the R-ARCSS and the Tumaini Consensus. The government wants the Tumaini Consensus as an annex to the R-ARCSS, the Opposition wants it as a stand-alone agreement, while the Stakeholders think of a blend of both.
8. Today, December 3, 2024, consultations will continue between the Mediation and the delegations. The Mediation will facilitate the first direct interactions between the reconstituted delegation of RTGoNU and holdout Opposition delegation. The Stakeholders might also interact with the RTGoNU delegation. These interactions are part of the Mediation’s preparatory work to enable the delegations to familiarize themselves with one another ahead of the formal resumption of the negotiations scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
- Stakeholders at the Tumaini Peace Initiative -
