South Sudan’s opposition and civil society groups, currently engaged in political negotiations with the government in Nairobi, are calling for the talks to result in a new constitution to reset the country's governance framework.

This new demand, which adds to their initial goal of inclusion in the government of national unity, emerged as the discussions entered their second month this week.

Pagan Amum, a former minister in South Sudan and leader of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (Ssoma), joined other opposition factions on Thursday to present a four-point agenda for the negotiations.

He emphasized that the Nairobi talks should pave the way for a "constitutional conference," starting in Nairobi and continuing in Juba.

“The expected outcome of the conference will be: the adoption of a new social contract; a constitutional text; interim governance arrangements with a rescue programme; and implementation modalities,” said a joint statement signed by other opposition groups and the PCCA (People’s Coalition for Civil Action), which represents civic movements.

“We strongly appeal to the region, the continent, and the international community to support the people of South Sudan in their search for peace and transition to stability and democracy.”

The collective call for peace and security has been a consistent demand among various opposition groups, initially opposed to the government, but consensus on the approach has remained elusive.

President Salva Kiir's administration has advocated for general elections as a starting point and has pushed for necessary preparations. However, stakeholders argue that such preparations are currently unfeasible due to insufficient funds and the lack of required agencies to facilitate the elections.

Kiir’s coalition partners, including Riek Machar of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLM-IO), have recommended postponing the elections until the country’s transitional objectives are achieved.

Even the Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), established to oversee the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, has cautioned that the country is not yet ready for elections.

South Sudan faces a critical dilemma: delaying the elections would extend the transitional government of national unity, formed under the 2018 peace deal, until February 2025. However, conducting elections in an unprepared nation risks inciting new armed conflicts.

“Our country is not prepared for elections and we believe that part of the outcome of the Tumaini Process will be to delay elections so that we can hold them under a new constitution,” the group said.

Amum told a press briefing that negotiating parties are on the same page and that the “country is in danger of collapsing from multiple crises.”

He was referring to the humanitarian toll from flooding and violent clashes, an economic downturn that has seen the country struggle to pay salaries and slow the implementation of transitional arrangements.