Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga. | File

Vice President Dr James Wani Igga said some political figures within the transitional government are objecting to the Kenya-mediated South Sudan peace process in fear of losing their jobs to opposition groups.

Dr. Igga made the statement during the final funeral prayers for the late father of James Hoth Mai, the Minister of Labour and Public Service in Juba on Friday.

The vice president emphasized the importance of reaching an agreement to bring an end to the ongoing war in the country.

While acknowledging the apprehensions among certain government officials, who fear that the inclusion of signatories may threaten their positions,  Dr. Igga proposed division of some of the major ministries to create space for those who have signed the peace agreement.

“There are those among us who rejected the Tumaini Initiative and do not want it to succeed. Everyone fears for their position in the government because they believe that the signatories to the Tumaini Initiative will compete with them for power and even take their positions,” he said.

“All those who rebel against the government aim for power. Since this is the case, let us contain them divide the major ministries and include them in them.”

The vice president contends that durable peace cannot be achieved through exclusion or isolation of holdout groups, and encourages the peace parties to find ways to accommodate members of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance.

He underscored that such a power-sharing arrangement could ease the concerns of current leaders and facilitate the acceptance of the agreement.

“Since most disagreements are based on power. We need to reconcile with others and welcome those who were fighting us so that we can stop the war and open a space for dialogue and reconciliation among ourselves in the end.”

The Tumaini 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.

The Tumaini Initiative stalled since mid-June after the SPLM-IO withdrew from the talks, citing the recently signed protocols and proposed institutions that are allegedly parallel or replacing some of those under the R-ARCSS.

The opposition also said the peace process undermined the sovereignty of South Sudan by establishing five institutions with the head and deputies to be appointed by the regional body, IGAD.