Opposition Movement Alliance refused to participate in permanent constitution making process

May 29th, 2021 – South Sudan’s third largest opposition group, the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance [SSOMA], withdraws from the implementation of one of the major articles of the revitalized peace agreement, the permanent constitution making mechanism.

According to senior members of the Alliance, the Kiir administration is trying to impose its status quo on the people of South Sudan through such a process and therefore they would rather not participate in permanent constitution making process

In a statement extended to Nyamilepedia, the opposition alliance described the workshop as “premature and a move designed to ignore the views of South Sudanese citizens” who should own the constitution

On 25 May 2021, the R_TGoNU held a workshop on the permanent constitution making process, a document that should be prepared and adopted during the transitional period as required by the revitalized peace agreement prior to the general elections.

 SOMMA also said they ‘re significantly irritated and concerned by the illegitimate launch of the constitutional making process which they further construed as a trick  by ITGoNU to consolidate its autocratic regime at the expense of the suffering people in South Sudan. 

“A constitutional making process must first be preceded by a National Constitutional Conference that the Alliance proposes to be held after the root causes of the conflict in the country are addressed through incredible political negotiations,” said the alliance. 

SSOMA condemns the process and urges the people of South Sudan to reject the regime’s attempts to manipulate their views in the name of this unlawful and premature process. 

SSOMA is not a signatory to the Revitalized Peace Agreement  that was signed by the parties in Khartoum on 12th of September 2018, however, it’s currently engaging the government through a peace process mediated by the Sant’Egidio community that aims to bring all non-signatory groups to take part in R_ARCSS. 

 In attendance during the opening session of the constitutional workshop were Sudanese Prime Minister, H.E Abdallah Hamdok, who doubles also as IGAD Chairperson, U.S. Special Envoy Donald Booth, UNMISS Head Nicholas Haysom and other foreign diplomats.

The government said the purpose of the workshop is to reach an understanding on the unresolved contentious issues in the 2018 agreement and create a list of resolutions that shall form the basis for drafting the legislation to regulate the Constitution-Making Process in South Sudan.