President Kiir chats with opposition leaders Pagan Amum and Paul Malong in Nairobi. (-)

The government spokesperson announced that the government has agreed to include the groups participating in the Tumaini Initiative in the security and governance arrangements of the 2018 peace accord.

Michael Makuei made this announcement during a press conference regarding the Tumaini initiative talks on Friday, July 5, 2024.

The minister of information stated they have agreed to rename the Joint Defense Board to the Joint Defense and Security Board to include non-signatories to the peace deal.

He added that there will be five institutions to oversee the implementation of the Tumaini Initiative.

These include; the High Regional Panel or HRP that will comprise President Salva Kiir, President William Ruto and heads of state in the region.

The panel will oversee the work of the National Leadership Council or NLC and will comprise President Salva Kiir, FVP, Dr. Riek Machar, the four Vice Presidents, and three signatories representing the Tumaini groups.

The National Leadership Council will oversee the work of National Implementation and Oversight Mechanisms or NIOC which will include a South Sudanese national, a Kenyan, and members of the international community.

The group will take charge of newly established Security Mechanisms which will comprise retired security officers.

The new Security Mechanism will now oversee the newly established Joint Defence and Security Board or JDSB, responsible for the implementation of the security arrangements.

Michael Makuei pointed out that the JDSB which will be tasked to organize the security sector will include the Army, Police, National Security Service, Prison, Wildlife and Civil Defense Force.

“For security, we have at present what we call the Joint Defense Board, the word defence refers to the army, but this Joint Defense Board is not for the army only, it is inclusive of the security forces,” said Makuei.

“The police, the Prisons, and the National Security Service are not defence forces, they are security forces but the defence is on the army,” he said.

“We have decided and agreed to call this board Joint Defense Board we rename it and call it the Joint Defense and Security Board because when you add the security then you have included the security organs within that body.”