In a statement, Lual Dau, Secretary-General and Spokesperson of the opposition group said they were deeply shocked by the comments made by Mr. Martin Elia Lomuro, Minister of Cabinet Affairs

By Chuol Chanyong

South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) and other opposition groups at the Tumaini initiative said they were dissatisfied with Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro’s statement on the ongoing discussions in Nairobi, Kenya.

In a statement released yesterday (on Friday), Lual Dau, Secretary-General and Spokesperson of the opposition group said, “We are deeply shocked by the comments made by Mr. Martin Elia Lomuro, Minister of Cabinet Affairs.”

“As we have waited for the return of the government for several months, we take this opportunity to inform the people of South Sudan, the region and international partners that we are deeply dismayed by the position of the National Unity Government in their statements over the past two days.”

He claimed that Mr. Lomuro alluded to the lack of knowledge of the joint statement of the Presidents of Kenya and South Sudan issued in Juba on November 6, 2024, which acknowledged the completed protocols calling for finalizing the Tumaini Peace Initiative within two months.

“We are completely shocked by comments made by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Hon. Martin Elia Lomuro, a new government delegate to the Tumaini talks and a ring-leader of the anti-Tumaini group. Mr. Lomuro denied knowledge of President Salva Kiir’s request to President William Ruto to mediate this peace process until June this year, even though he attended the launch of the Tumaini at State House Nairobi on the 9^th of May, 2024,” the letter by SSOMA spokesperson read in part, and added:

“There is no doubt that the government was fully aware that President Salva Kiir had requested President William Ruto in a letter since December last year, to mediate these talks.”

However, Dau said the Opposition has unanimously declared their full commitment to finalizing the agreed upon Tumaini Consensus Protocols within two weeks as stipulated in the Joint Statement of the Presidents issued in Juba on November 6, 2024, and presenting the results of this process as a peace gift at Christmas. 

The opposition called on the people of South Sudan, the able mediation, the region, and the international community not to allow any party to destroy the tremendous progress and achievements made by the Tumaini Peace Initiative.”

“We welcome the return of the national government delegation to peace, and we commend the mediation and stakeholders for their patience and continued commitment to this peace process,” he said.

The Tumaini peace talks, currently ongoing in Nairobi, were resumed this week, after almost four months hiatus, when one of the key players the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by South Sudan First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, pulled out, stating that the protocols by the Tumaini Initiative parties were incompatible with the revitalized peace deal.

“There is no doubt that the government was fully aware that President Salva Kiir had requested President William Ruto in a letter since December last year, to mediate these talks,” Lual Dau, Secretary-General and Spokesperson of SSOMA in a statement.