Dr. Riek Machar, leader of SPLM-IO - Courtesy

First Vice President Dr Riek Machar has written to the Chief Mediator of High-level Mediation for South Sudan in Kenya, expressing concerns over a draft document he believes is designed to replace the 2018 peace deal.

The 19th June 2024 letter is addressed to Lazarus Sumbeiyo and copied to President Salva Kiir, IGAD heads of state, UN and African Union.

“I am writing to your Excellencies to express my concerns on the mediation draft document titled “Tumaini Consensus and Implementation Framework for a permanent constitutional and sustainable peace for South Sudan,” Machar said partly in his letter.

The SPLM-IO leader said he observed the draft document with serious concerns after a thorough study.

According to Dr. Machar, the document does not recognize the revitalized agreement and the resolution of conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.

He said the draft document is designed to replace the 2018 peace deal, underlining that some sections of the document propose alternative institutions replacing or running in parallel with those in the 2018 agreement.

He argues that the Tumaini Initiative has no power to amend the R-ARCSS, but the parties signatory to the 2018 accord, which he said is the only agreement that has empowered the Tumaini Initiative to be one of the institutions rather than being a mediation forum.

“The first vice president of the Republic, based on his capacity as one of the principles of the revitalized peace agreement has sent the letter,” Puok Both Baluang, the Acting Spokesperson in the Office of Machar confirmed in an interview with Eye Radio on Thursday.

“The concern raised was that the document does not recognize that revitalized peace agreement.”

“Also, the document was designed to replace the agreement and it was observed that in some sections of the document, the initiative established alternative institutions replacing or running in parallel with the ones established based on the revitalized peace agreement.”

The Tumaini (hope) Initiative, which started on May 9th, 2024, in Nairobi, is a South Sudan peace talks between the government and the opposition parties who did not sign the 2018 peace deal facilitated by the Kenyan government on the request of President Salva Kiir.

According to Dr Machar, the Tumaini initiatives are expected to be an annex to the R-ARCSS and not a stand-alone agreement.

He concludes that the Nairobi peace talks abrogate the R-ARCSS and deviate from its intent to complement the peace deal by ensuring the inclusion of the non-signatories in the implementation process.