Mabior Garang shook hands with President Slava kiir in one of his past visits to Juba|Courtesy

Politician Mabior Garang has urged President Salva Kiir to stand firm against detractors of the Tumaini Initiative and uphold his promise to keep the nation from returning to war.

In a post on his Facebook page dated 6, Jannuary, 2025, Mabior Garang described the Tumaini Initiative as a hope after the slow pace of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

Mr. Garang said the Tumaini Consensus is more than a negotiation that presents an opportunity to achieve fundamental change for the civil population.

He said while it is not perfect, the peace initiative “represents a fresh chance to make what he describes as revolutionary corrections for the mistakes of the past peace agreements, adding that “it is imperative South Sudanese support it as a path to total peace.”

According to Garang, an anti-peace faction within R-TGONU, composed of unelected Members of Parliament and unpopular politicians, has undermined efforts to reach an agreement.

This group, he said, portrays Tumaini as a threat to President Kiir while simultaneously pursuing their own regime change agenda.

He argued that during the first round of negotiations, significant progress was made, including the initialing of nine protocols but some anti-peace factions shifted the goalposts, derailing the process.

Garang said the second round stalled as a new R-TGONU delegation demanded to start from scratch, delaying progress and dashing citizens’ hopes.

As Tumaini resumption approaches, Garang urged the people of South Sudan to remain vigilant.

He also urged President Kiir to stand resolute against these detractors and uphold his promise to keep the nation from returning to war.

Garang added that it has been over a decade since South Sudan plunged into the abyss.

Despite the immense sacrifices that secured the revolution and birthed the nascent Republic, the civil population continues to languish in abject poverty.

According to Mabior, the agreement implementation has been weak, focusing almost entirely on forming the government while neglecting the reform agenda.

He called for unity of the citizens to support peace and hold leaders accountable.

Last week, President Salva Kiir encouraged parties to the Tumaini Initiative in Nairobi to embrace compromise on positions in order to successfully conclude the peace process.

In his New Year address, the President said the peace parties have made real progress in implementing the 2018 peace agreement although elections were postponed.

Kiir added the adjournment of what would have been South Sudan’s first elections was due to practical reasons, including the economic hardship in the country.

He confirmed that the Tumaini Initiative peace negotiation will resume in January, and called on the opposition to show patriotism and put the interest our country first through compromise.