South Sudan’s peace talks, which were close to completion, hit a roadblock as opposition groups demanded the removal of a newly passed bill that permits the detention of people without an arrest warrant before they agree to sign a proposed agreement.
Since May, Kenya has hosted high-level meetings between government representatives and rebel opposition groups excluded from the 2018 agreement that ended a five-year civil war. This conflict resulted in approximately 400,000 deaths and millions of displacements. Despite the agreement, violence has frequently erupted in the nation of 9 million people.
Pagan Amum Okiech, representing the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance, told the Associated Press on Tuesday night that it would be “meaningless to sign any agreement if the draconian National Security Act is signed into law by the president.”
Last week, parliament voted in favor of the 2015 bill, and President Salva Kiir has 30 days to approve it for it to become law. This comes ahead of the country’s first-ever election on December 22.
“This law violates the fundamental rights and freedoms of South Sudanese citizens, it eliminates civic and political space,” Amum said. “There can be no peace or democracy under such a law.”
Edmund Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a non-profit engaging university students and fresh graduates, attended the peace talks and criticized the security bill, saying it “created a negative spirit for the negotiations.”
Human Rights Watch has also urged President Kiir to reject the controversial bill, arguing it will further undermine human rights and empower national security agencies with a history of rights abuses.
The talks — dubbed Tumaini, Swahili for hope — have produced a draft agreement proposing to extend the country’s transitional period and postpone the upcoming election. This would allow time to complete the country’s constitution and electoral laws, establish constituency borders, and form a unified security force, as proposed in the 2018 peace talks.
Some Western envoys also recommend delaying the poll “to guarantee a free and fair election.”
However, President Kiir has insisted on holding the election in December and has criticized the envoys for their stance.