The South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA), led by General Thomas Cirillo, has formally rejected the proposed “National Consensus Charter Dialogue” under Kenya’s Tumaini Peace Initiative, warning that it risks entrenching the existing political order rather than tackling the underlying drivers of South Sudan’s prolonged conflict.

In a position paper dated February 13, 2026, addressed to Kenya’s chief mediator Gen. Lazarus Sumbeiywo, SSOMA described the framework as fundamentally defective in both process and content.

“The framework appears to predetermine the agenda, process and outcome,” the alliance stated, arguing that it restricts authentic negotiation and confines participants to “externally pre-set parameters.”

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but plunged into civil war in 2013 after a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and then-deputy Riek Machar.

The 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) established a transitional unity government, yet implementation has been uneven, repeatedly delayed, and marred by ongoing violence.

SSOMA, which did not sign the 2018 deal, criticised the Tumaini initiative for focusing narrowly on improving compliance with R-ARCSS rather than confronting what it called the “root causes” of the conflict: governance failures, fractured security institutions, impunity, land conflicts, and ethnic divisions.

The alliance cautioned that rushing elections—now slated for December 2026—without first resolving these core issues could deepen instability.

“Elections should be the outcome of peace, not a substitute for it,” SSOMA emphasised, warning that polls held amid insecurity, mass displacement, and fragile institutions would fail to deliver durable stability.

The group demanded wide-ranging consultations with political parties, civil society, faith-based organisations, women, youth, displaced populations, and other stakeholders before any framework is locked in.

It proposed convening an inclusive roundtable conference to negotiate a comprehensive, new peace accord.Key recommendations include:

• Immediate and unconditional release of political detainees, including First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and his co-accused.
• Involvement of regional and international actors, such as IGAD, the African Union, the United Nations, and Western partners.
• Holding talks at a neutral venue mutually agreed by all parties to guarantee safety and eliminate coercion.

The Kenyan mediation team has not yet issued a public response to SSOMA’s position paper.

South Sudan’s elections have been postponed multiple times due to incomplete security arrangements, the lack of a permanent constitution, and logistical hurdles.

The National Consensus Charter Dialogue represents the latest regional push to resolve the persistent political impasse in a country still grappling with widespread violence, economic collapse, and severe humanitarian needs despite the 2018 peace deal.