Hon Rebecca Jashua Okwaci, former Government's Chief-Whip - Courtesy

A senior member of the government delegation at the Tumaini Initiative asserted that just as South Sudanese leaders united during the liberation struggle, they can similarly come together to build the country.

Rebecca Joshua Okwaci, a member of parliament, spoke on Saturday at an event organized by Gen. Paul Malong at his Nairobi residence.

The event aimed to build trust and confidence among delegates as part of the process. Rebecca also expressed hope that the Kenyan-led initiative will encourage non-signatories to the R-ARCSS to return and positively contribute to their country’s development.

“We liberated our country together and that is how we have South Sudan today. Is it difficult for us to build our nation together? That is a question you may not answer now, but answer it in your heart,” Rebecca said.

“I believe we can build our nation together and therefore moving forward together is very important so that we have the Tumaini initiative successful. We go home and build our nation together,” she said.

“Our message is for us to be together to conclude the peace agreement, whatever name we call it is time for us to go home.”

For her part, another delegate to the Tumaini Initiative has called for a top-down trust and confidence-building approach saying it is the foundation for lasting peace in South Sudan.

Nagomoro Brigade, representing the women’s bloc, says she wants to see South Sudanese leaders trusting each other and working together.

“Implementing the trust and building confidence, it is something that we need to see among our leaders and actually,” Brigade said.

“We have been hungry for that and that could be something we need to see that from top leadership down, we work together and close to one another and that would help us to know that we belong to one country,” she said.

“We are sitting here today, we are one family and we have one tribe and we have one nation and this gives us the real happiness of looking forward to that peace that we need.”

In April last year, the peace monitoring body, R-MJEC reported that a lack of trust and confidence was among the key issues delaying the implementation of the 2018 peace deal.

On May 9, President Salva Kiir launched a high-level peace talk in the Kenyan capital Nairobi with the non-signatories to the 2018 peace deal as part of the quest for stability.

Among other key protocols, delegates to the Tumaini Initiative have adopted a protocol on trust and confidence building, which they believe is key to the implementation of the peace process in the country.