Dr Abraham Kuol Nyuon, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Juba

A lecturer of political science at the University of Juba says the withdrawal of SPLM-IO from the Tumaini Initiative puts the current Nairobi peace talks and the 2018 peace pact in limbo.

Yesterday, the SPLM-In Opposition rejected the protocols of the Tumaini initiative and declared its withdrawal from the process, citing it has established alternative institutions to the 2018 peace accord.

The opposition group says the initiative has what it says arrogated to itself many roles including being a funder, a supervisor a coordinator, a convener of a donor conference, a funder manager, a monitor of the agreement, a guarantor and a governing authority.

Dr. Abraham Koul says the step taken by the opposition jeopardizes both peace processes and will create more problems

“If the IO already withdrew from the Tumaini initiative, it means the R-ARCSS is in questions. And if the R-ARCSS in question, then how can R-ARCSS be? How can R-ARCSS be incorporated into Tumaini to come up with a document that is very comprehensive to accommodate the interest of the two groups?

“So, their withdrawal there is putting the current peace talk at TumainI at a Limbo, which means it is supposed to create more problems.”

Dr. Abraham Koul thinks that the SPLM-IO is unsure about their status and how they will be treated as a key signatory to the R-ARCSS.

“I guess the reason for IO withdrawing, it believes that as a key principle to the current R-TGONU, they are unsure about their status and how they’ll be treated, especially them being lumped together without modalities in terms of being R-TGONU group against the SSOMA Group,” he added.