SSOMA Chair Gen. Thomas Cirillo (Courtesy)
Nairobi, February 17, 2026
Savanna Radio News
The South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA), led by Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka, has reaffirmed its commitment to achieving a comprehensive and sustainable peace in South Sudan, while rejecting the Tumaini Peace Initiative’s proposed framework as “predetermined” and “externally driven.”
In an official communiqué dated February 13, 2026, addressed to Gen. Lazarus Sumbeiywo, Chief Facilitator of the Tumaini Peace Initiative (TPI) under the Government of Kenya, SSOMA welcomed Kenya’s continued engagement in the pursuit of peace but strongly questioned the current approach of the Tumaini-led process.
Gen. Cirillo stated that while SSOMA supports an inclusive dialogue process, the Tumaini framework, entitled “Proposed Framework for the Tumaini Initiative: Towards South Sudan National Consensus Charter for Peace and Democracy” had been developed without broad consultation with South Sudanese stakeholders. According to SSOMA, this omission undermines the very principle of national ownership that the peace initiative claims to uphold. “The Framework appears to predetermine the agenda, process, and outcome… rather than allowing South Sudanese stakeholders to shape the process freely and collectively,” SSOMA’s letter noted.
Concerns Over Process and Focus
SSOMA expressed particular concern that the proposed Framework:
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Was crafted without consultation from key South Sudanese social, political, and civic actors.
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Predefines agenda items and outcomes, leaving little space for authentic negotiation.
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Prioritizes elections as an immediate solution, without addressing the root causes of South Sudan’s civil conflict.
Gen. Cirillo cautioned that premature elections conducted amid the current environment of war, displacement, and institutional breakdown would “legitimize the status quo rather than deliver lasting peace.”
SSOMA’s Alternative Peace Roadmap
In the same statement, SSOMA presented an eleven-point proposal aimed at guiding a credible peace process centered on the root causes of the conflict. Key recommendations include:
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Inclusive pre-dialogue consultations with political groups, civil society, faith-based institutions, women, youth, and displaced communities.
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Development of a stakeholder-informed framework reflecting a collective national consensus.
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Convening an Inclusive Roundtable Conference to address governance, ethnicized security structures, land disputes, resource mismanagement, and justice.
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Unconditional release of political detainees, including First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and other opposition figures.
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Selection of a neutral venue for negotiations agreed upon by all parties.
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Establishment of clear guarantors and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with future agreements.
SSOMA stressed that elections must be the result of peace, not a substitute for it, suggesting that polls should only follow once a permanent constitution, national security reforms, population census, and the return of displaced citizens have been achieved.
Call for Broader Mediation
Recognizing the complexity of South Sudan’s political crisis, SSOMA also called for a broad-based mediation structure involving IGAD, the African Union (AU), the Troika (United States, United Kingdom, and Norway), the Community of Sant’Egidio, the European Union, and the United Nations. “An implementable and time-bound peace process is only possible if the question of guarantors with clear mandates is addressed,” Gen. Cirillo emphasized, urging mediators to avoid replicating the shortcomings of past agreements.
Regional Reactions and Next Steps
The letter, copied to major international stakeholders including IGAD, AU, UNMISS, and the UN Security Council, marks one of SSOMA’s most comprehensive public positions since the Tumaini Initiative was announced by Kenya in 2024. The initiative, spearheaded by General Sumbeiywo, aims to facilitate a National Consensus Charter between South Sudanese factions to end years of political instability.
As of this report, neither the Tumaini Peace Initiative Secretariat nor the Government of South Sudan has formally responded to SSOMA’s latest statement.
Savanna Radio will continue to monitor reactions from regional mediators and stakeholders as efforts to revive a credible peace process for South Sudan gain renewed urgency.
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