Under the auspices of the African Union, opposition forces in Tanzania are gathering to revive the peace process.

Written by: Mohamed Ragab

High-level political consultations have begun in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, bringing together a number of the most prominent opposition forces in South Sudan, as part of moves led by the African Union to revitalize the stalled peace process and push forward the implementation of the revitalized 2018 peace agreement.

These consultations come amid growing concerns about the stalled implementation of the agreement's provisions and the continued political and security challenges that threaten the future of the transitional phase, at a time when regional and international parties are seeking to find common ground to bring the southern parties back to the path of dialogue.

The meetings are being held under the supervision of the African Union's special envoy to South Sudan and former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who is holding separate meetings with each opposition group, with the consultation sessions scheduled to conclude on Friday.

Implementing the peace agreement

Representatives from the United People’s Alliance led by Pagan Amum, the Alliance of Opposition Movements led by Thomas Cirillo, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition loyal to Dr. Riek Machar, the Popular Civil Action Alliance, and the Federal Democratic Party led by Gabriel Changson Chang participated in the meetings.

The Secretary-General of the United People’s Alliance, Lual Dau, said that the Alliance’s delegation, headed by Pagan Amum, presented the opposition’s vision regarding the obstacles facing the implementation of the peace agreement, pointing to what he described as the government’s withdrawal from the “Temini” peace initiative, in addition to the continued violations related to the agreement.

He explained that the opposition forces proposed releasing political prisoners and returning to a comprehensive political dialogue that would lead to a clear roadmap for achieving peace and stability in the country.

He noted that these consultations aim to enable the African Union to form a more comprehensive assessment of the political and security situation in South Sudan, and to listen to the views of the opposition political forces on ways to address the current crisis.

For his part, the leader of the opposition Popular Movement, Gai Mian Lok, confirmed the participation of representatives of the movement in the meetings, explaining that the movement’s participation came after addressing some initial observations and disagreements related to the invitation procedures.

Fact-finding and evaluation of the process

These moves come after a visit by Kikwete to Juba last April, during which he met with President Salva Kiir Mayardit and a number of political forces, as part of a fact-finding mission to assess the progress of the peace process.

These consultations fall within the efforts of the African Union High-Level Panel on South Sudan (C5), which is pushing for the launch of an inclusive political dialogue and creating the conditions necessary for holding the elections scheduled for December 2026, amid growing calls to overcome the political stalemate and rebuild trust between the conflicting parties.