The South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA), led by National Salvation Front (NAS) rebel leader Gen. Thomas Cirillo, has accused President Salva Kiir of carrying out a coup d’état. The group is urging a genuine, inclusive and comprehensive national peace process to resolve what it describes as a growing constitutional and political crisis.
In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by Secretary General Emmanuel Ajawin, SSOMA said it had been watching Kiir’s political moves closely. It said these ended with him overturning the existing constitutional order, dissolving the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) and setting up what it called an illegal caretaker administration.
SSOMA condemned the actions of Kiir and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Government (SPLM-IG), calling the situation a grave political, security and constitutional crisis. The alliance noted that it has always rejected the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) as a way to end the conflict, and has long argued for a new process that tackles the root causes of the fighting. In its view, recent events prove that the R-ARCSS was flawed and could never deliver lasting peace.
The group insisted, however, that the crisis must not be handled through unilateral political decisions. It said South Sudan needs a nationally owned, inclusive process that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict, restores political trust, protects peace and unity, and safeguards citizens’ interests. SSOMA praised the United Nations and regional actors for stressing inclusive political dialogue and the involvement of groups that did not sign the agreement.
SSOMA called on South Sudanese stakeholders, the African Union, IGAD, the United Nations, neighbouring countries and other international partners to consult urgently on the crisis and help find a peaceful solution. It also asked for urgent regional and international action on the country’s severe humanitarian situation.
The alliance described the current administration as illegitimate and without a constitutional mandate. It accused Kiir of using state resources and the security apparatus to manipulate, coerce and intimidate his way into taking over the constitutional order.
SSOMA also proposed a national dialogue among political parties, opposition movements, civil society, faith-based groups, traditional leaders and other stakeholders, to map out a credible path toward constitutional governance, lasting peace and a democratic transition. It said the talks should take place at a neutral venue outside South Sudan. The group repeated its proposal to use the documents from earlier processes as the basis for a new comprehensive peace process. These are the R-ARCSS, the Rome Peace Process, the National Dialogue and the Tumaini Peace Process.
The alliance flatly rejected the elections that Kiir and the SPLM-IG are planning, calling them a sham. It said any vote must be preceded by the political, constitutional, security and institutional conditions needed to make it peaceful, inclusive, transparent and credible. Elections, it argued, should be part of a real democratic transition and not a cover for legitimising dictatorship and dodging the root causes of the conflict.
SSOMA likewise condemned the ongoing inter-party dialogue, saying it appears designed to rubber-stamp decisions one party has already made. It claimed the process is meant to lend legitimacy to an illegitimate regime and clear the way for the elections. A genuine dialogue, it said, must be inclusive and held in a neutral place free from threats and intimidation.
The group blamed Kiir for orchestrating the crisis and warned that it will worsen the humanitarian situation and lead to more violence and insecurity. If the situation is not rescued through inclusive and comprehensive dialogue, SSOMA cautioned, South Sudan could soon be engulfed in violence that speeds up its collapse and disintegration.
SSOMA said it remains committed to a peaceful, inclusive and negotiated settlement, and urged all national, regional and international stakeholders to work together to stop the political, security and humanitarian situation from deteriorating further.
