South Sudan to resume talks with holdout opposition groups
January 30, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s government has announced resumptions of talks with the holdout opposition a month after it was suspended.
This appeared in a statement signed by South Sudan’s Presidential Affairs minister and head of government delegation, Barnaba Marial Benjamin.
The Juba government had suspended the talks, accusing the holdout opposition groups of lacking commitment to the negotiations.
Talks between the government and the Non-Signatories South Sudanese Oppositions Group (NSSSOG) are mediated by the Rome-based Community of Sant’Egidio.
“His Excellency the president of the republic and the entire government has accepted the resumption of the talks with the holdout opposition,” Marial said in a statement on the state-owned television (SSBC).
The minister said peace and stability were what everyone in the country and outside are aspiring for and that it was the time all opposition groups reciprocate in good faith and accept to return to the negotiating table.
The spokesman of South Sudan United Front (SSUF), Malual Deng Yaak urged government to be “serious” and ensure the conflict came to an end.
He, however, questioned the timing for the resumption of negotiations.
“We hope that this is not just public relations because Pope Francis and other top religious leaders of the world are coming to south Sudan in February. We hope the government is serious. As for us, we have always been ready for peace talks with the government,” explained Yaak.
The SSUF official reiterated the group’s commitment to the peace talks.
“We have always made our positions clear that our people need peace and that is why we accepted to talk with the government,” he noted.
The spokesperson for the National Salvation Front (NAS), Suba Samuel Manase called for round-table conference to discuss ways to end conflict.
He urged the Juba government to redouble its efforts to end the conflict.
“We as an opposition agenda the moment, we are busy trying to mobilize stakeholders, other opposition groups, the civil society and religious leaders, such that we go for what we call roundtable conference,” said Manase.
The Rome peace initiative began with the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement between the government and opposition groups in January 2020, and subsequent negotiations on root cause of conflict in the country.
The announcement on resumption of talks came days before Pope’s visit to the young nation.
Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on January 31 and South Sudan on February 3.
(ST)