South Sudanese peace talks in Nairobi near conclusion, parties call for greater inclusion

Peace talks between holdout groups and South Sudan's government in Nairobi, Kenya, are nearing their final stages, Sudan Tribune has reported.

South Sudan's Minister of Information Michael Makuei announced on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on Friday that the discussions are almost complete.

"Talks have progressed well. Significant signs of progress have been made and have now reached final stages," stated Minister Makuei, though he provided no further details.

Multiple highly placed sources at the talks confirmed to the Sudanese outlet the parties have made significant progress, with current efforts focused on technicalities and language to be adopted, in collaboration with the mediation team.

However, critics of the selection process for the parties at the talks are urging for broader inclusion to reflect diversity and address the root causes of the conflict.

The opposition, not participating in the process, has portrayed the peace process as a means to facilitate the return of former army chief of staff Paul Malong, Stephen Buoy Rolnyang, and Pagan Amum.

The trio have presented themselves as individuals not seeking power but aiming to address the conflict's root causes, which stemmed from a split within the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2013, leading to violence and the death of thousands.

Tensions initially flared between the holdout groups and the government delegation, the two largest parties in the process, leading the mediation team to assure the safety of opposition figures who claimed they were targeted for assassination by some government officials.

Exclusion claims

On July 1, 2024, three opposition figures seeking inclusion in the talks decried their exclusion. They pointed to the three main members of the non-signatory groups of the September 2018 revitalised peace agreement as the reason for their exclusion.

This new group, representing various political and military organisations, claimed Malong, Amum, and Buoy had threatened to quit the process if they were included, undermining the peace talks.

"Threats by Pagan Amum, Paul Malong, and Stephen Buoy Rolnyang that the other parties were to be part of the process then they will quit are hollow as their call for unity,” read a letter seen by Sudan Tribune.

It added, “The participants they brought to the peace process are only their kin and kith, tribal that they cannot champion any national agenda. Leaders should be selfless and high of integrity if they are to be believed.”

The Tumaini (Hope) Initiative, which began on May 9, 2024, in Nairobi, is a series of South Sudan peace talks between the government and opposition parties that did not sign the 2018 peace deal.

The Kenyan government facilitates these talks at the request of President Salva Kiir.

The talks are between the government and rebel opposition groups that were not part of a 2018 agreement that ended a five-year civil war that left 400,000 people dead.

The statement from "The Equatoria's People Alliance" included names of Emmanuel Sunday, chairman of the South Sudan United Front Progressive, Deng Vanang, chairman and commander in chief of United Democratic Revolutionary Movement/Army, and Major General Peter Choul Gatluak, chairman and commander in chief of Nilotia People Defense Movement/Forces M/DPDF.

They called on President Kiir and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto to ensure their inclusion in the peace process.