Bishop Enok Tombe, and Sheikh Jar Al-Nabi Khamis speaks on Eye Radio's Dawn Show. January 29, 2025. (Photo: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio).
The Kenyan government has assumed the responsibility of funding the Tumaini Initiative after international partners withdrew their financial support in June 2024, a delegate has disclosed.
Enok Tombe, a retired Bishop of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, said they were informed by mediators on Tuesday that Kenya has taken over the role as part of its peacemaking foreign policy.
He suggested that the transitional government should have enough money to pay over a year of salary arrears for civil servants since it is not fully financing the Tumaini Initiative.
The religious leader made the statement amid concerns from some citizens that the peace process is dragging on longer than expected and wasting public revenue, while civil servants go for months without pay.
Eye Radio sources at the talks, however, established from the secretariat that the government delegation is footing its own bills after declining mediators suggestion that they will only have to cater for a few people.
Bishop Tombe said South Sudanese should not be misinformed that the process is being funded by resources of the country.
“What we know is that the money is not coming from South Sudan to finance the Tumaini, it was first from the partners, and now yesterday we were told this is now even from Kenya,” he said.
“Kenya is funding the process as a matter of foreign policy, they want to have peacemaking, as well as peacekeeping as their foreign policy. So, they have a budget for it, so it is not money from South Sudan.”
“But you can see we cannot pay even salaries. So, there is a problem of how we manage our resources. So, we are not wasting the money in Tumaini, but we are wasting money in our own country, the issue of corruption.”
Retired Bishop Enok Tombe further explained the difference between the 2018 revitalized peace agreement and the ongoing Tumaini peace initiative.
“The difference between Tumaini and R-ARCSS, there are two things that came up. Confidence building protocol, and then communal conflicts, armed civilians and land disputes, these are unique.”
Meanwhile, Sheikh Jar Al-Nabi Khamis, representing South Sudan Islamic Council at the Tumaini called on the citizens to remain hopeful about the process.
He added that South Sudanese should continue following the process and share their views.
“We want people to have hope and faith because when you have hope, tomorrow will be better. Indeed, as citizens, people are tired of wars and disputes. But, let us put God first and have hope that tomorrow will be better for South Sudan.”
“This time I urge all of us to closely Tumaini initiative, and we as stakeholders we want all your views, to tell these politicians that there is need to put the interest of the country and the citizens first and we want real peace.”
On Wednesday, the parties are expected to continue with the negotiation on the agenda of negotiating parties, which include clarity on the names of the parties engaged in the discussions.
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