Machar writes to Kenya mediation over deviations from 2018 peace agreement
June 20, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s first Vice President Riek Machar has written to the Kenyan mediation team, citing deviation from its mandate by seeking to replace or create parallel institutions.
In a June 19, 2024 letter extended to Sudan Tribune, the opposition leader presented seven points to explain his concerns to the mediation team headed by Kenyan chief mediator, retired General Lazurus Sumbeiywo.
The letter is also copied deputy chief mediator, Ambassador Mohamed Ali Guyo, co-mediator and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Special Envoy to South Sudan, Ambassador Ismail Wais, and Tobias Muller, a co-mediator representing the Rome-based Sant’ Egidio community.
“As one of the principals of the revitalized agreement on the resolution of the conflict in the republic of south Sudan, I am writing to your excellency to express my concerns on the mediators’ draft document entitled Tumaini Consensus and implementation framework for a permanent constitution and sustainable peace for south Sudan. after a thorough study of the draft document, I have observed the following serious concerns”, wrote Machar
According to the armed opposition leader, the document does not recognize the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and appears to have been designed to replace the 2018 accord.
He insists some sections of the document establish alternative institutions replacing or running in parallel with those in the revitalized agreement.
“It is the parties signatory to the revitalized, acting together, which is the only body that has the power to initiate amendments of the agreement. The document has empowered the Tumaini initiative to be an annex to the revitalized and not a standby-alone agreement. in light of the above Tumaini abrogates the revitalized agreement when it was intended to complement the revitalized agreement by ensuring the inclusion of the non-signatories in the implementation of the agreement. therefore, the Tumaini initiative has deviated from its intended mandate”, explained Machar.
The talks are between President Salva Kiir’s government and rebel opposition groups that were not part of the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war. “Tumaini, meaning hope, is grounded in the resolve that delivered the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the second civil war in Sudan in 2005.
It is fueled by courage, goodwill, and determination to silence the guns and explore better ways of resolving conflicts.
Analysts have interpreted and equated the initiative exemplifies the Pan-African policy of African solutions to African challenges, contributing to the ‘Silencing the Guns in Africa initiative’ and fostering an environment for transformational development in South Sudan, the region and the African continent.
(ST)