General Kuol Manyang Juuk, Senior Presidential Advisor - courtesy

The head of government delegation to the Tumaini Initiative has announced that the 15-member team will jet to Nairobi on Wednesday and sign a final agreement with the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance in ten days.

Senior Presidential Advisor Kuol Manyang Juuk was appointed as the government’s chief negottiator by President Kiir in the delegation’s reconstitution disclosed on November 15.

This was in a presidency meeting which called for an expeditious conclusion of the Tumaini consensus – a week after government failed to send its negotiating team for the resumption of talks, even after President Kiir and Kenya’s Ruto agreed on the schedule.

In an interview with Eye Radio, Manyang said the Nairobi peace process which he will negotiate with holdout opposition groups will be successful.

“We will start going on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We are preparing to go now. The team, I don’t we will take long time. We are going to build on what was done by the first team, there are some improvements/adjustment we made,” he said.

“We will not take long, we may not go for more than 10 days, so we are optimistic that we are going to agree with our brothers and sisters under the Tumaini peace process. So, we are going to be successful, we will come back with peace.”

In November 22, the Minister of Cabinet Affairs Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro said the newly reconstituted government delegation was ready to resume talks with the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance in Nairobi.

Dr. Lomuro said the team will soon travel to Kenya to continue the negotiation with the non-signatories to the revitalized peace agreement.

The cabinet minister said he believes this is the last opportunity for the country to have lasting peace

He denied allegations that the transitional government has resorted to delaying tactics to smother the Nairobi peace talks intended to bring about an inclusive transitional process.