South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
A regional meeting held in Kampala, Uganda, on Wednesday concluded with a call for the government of South Sudan to include the holdout groups in the 2018 peace deal.
The one-day meeting, chaired by Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Uganda, brought together leaders from Angola, Burundi, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, and others.
The 12th High-Level Meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) for the Peace, Security, and Cooperation (PSC) Framework aims to address the escalating violence in eastern DRC, where M23 rebels have intensified their attacks.
The summit also seeks to counter broader instability in the Great Lakes region, including spillover effects from Sudan’s civil war and South Sudan’s fragile political transition.
A communiqué issued by regional leaders on Wednesday urged the government to engage holdout groups in dialogue.
“Commends the Government of South Sudan on its efforts to continue the implementation of the revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan and encourages its efforts to bring on board the non-signatories of the revitalised Agreement to sign the agreement,” it said.
The Tumaini Initiative was launched in May 2024, aiming to mediate conflicts involving holdout opposition groups that have yet to endorse the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
The opposition parties include the South Sudan United Front (SSUF), led by Gen. Paul Malong Awan, and Real SPLM, under Pagan Amum, the former Secretary-General for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party, along with other parties.
The armed opposition National Salvation Front (NAS), led by Thomas Cirilo Swaka, is not participating in the talks due to a lack of security guarantees.
In July 2024, the government and the holdout groups agreed on eight protocols designed to accelerate efforts towards bringing lasting peace and stability to the country.
The 25-page document provides details of an inclusive governance structure and responsibility sharing among the government, opposition groups, and other stakeholders.
These include protocols on humanitarian access, trust and confidence-building measures, permanent ceasefire, and security arrangement reforms, as well as protocols addressing communal conflicts, armed civilians, and land disputes.
The leaders also called on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to cease all atrocities against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure.
“Affirm our support for Sudan’s nationally led roadmap to restore peace and stability and call on the RSF militia to fully comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, including the lifting of the siege on El Fasher by the RSF and ceasing all atrocities against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure,” it said.
The regional leaders reaffirmed their rejection of all forms of external interference in the Sudan conflict and encouraged dialogue.
“They also called for enhanced regional cooperation to prevent the flow of arms and mercenaries into Sudan in accordance with the arms embargo of the UN Security Council and to cut off external support to the RSF rebel militia.”
They called for an immediate halt to drone attacks on Port Sudan, which serves as the temporary hub for humanitarian agencies assisting affected civilians.
It said that these attacks pose a direct threat to Red Sea security and the safety of humanitarian operations.
