Joint consultative interaction between the government and SSOMA delegations in Nairobi. Dec 3, 2024. (Photo: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio).
The Rapporteur of government delegation to the Tumaini Initiative has described the response of the opposition United People’s Alliance (UPA) to its Tuesday’s presentation as “irrelevant and out of tone”.
On Tuesday, the government delegation presented its analysis and views on the eight initialed protocols, maintaining that the Tumaini should be an annex to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.
The opposition UPA responded to the government delegation on Thursday in presence of the mediation team, led by Rt. Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo.
UPA’s position explained a list of reasons why the alliance’s members rejected to be part of the 2018 peace agreement, the chief of which is what they said is mismanagement of oil revenue.
The opposition also questioned the unity government’s failure to implement the agreement as well as why First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and others are not allowed to leave Juba.
In their words, the R-ARCSS implementation mechanisms are weak and susceptible to deliberate political manipulation rendering the peace accord unable to deliver the expected peace.
Reacting to the presentation, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, the government delegation’s spokesperson said most of the points raised by the opposition are irrelevant to the Tumaini peace initiative.
Dr. Lomuro – who is also the Minister of Cabinet Affairs – made the remarks in a media briefing in Nairobi, Kenya on Thursday afternoon.
“We were expecting the presentation of the opposition to be a response to the presentation of the government, or to the framework that was given by the mediation to both sides in December,” he said.
“However, what we got today was a statement that was not really related to any of the two documents. Either the document presentation of the government of the Republic of South Sudan or the mediation framework.”
He said the opposition statement turned out to be a justification on why the non signatories alliance did not sign the 2018 agreement.
“What the opposition has presented is totally out of tone with the expected response to the right protocols and the position of the government in their respect.”
On his part, the Secretary General and spokesperson of United People’s Alliance maintained that all the concerns raised by the opposition are relevant.
Lual Dau further called on South Sudanese to support the Tumaini peace initiative, adding that it will usher South Sudan into a sustainable peace and good governance.
“Everything we have presented today are relevant to rescue our country, it is about South Sudan, we talked about mismanagement of oil.”
“So, our presentation today has to do with the interest of the people of South Sudan. We are looking for interest of our people first, we are looking for agreement that will finally address all the root causes of the conflict.”
“We are not here as UPA looking for positions or to appease the government. We are here to protect the right of our people, and everything that we presented today were facts and accurate.”
The government delegation is expected to respond to the United People’s Alliance presentation on Saturday.
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