The chief mediator of the Rome peace initiative met with President Salva Kiir yesterday to discuss the resumption of talks between the government and the holdout groups of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance (SSOMA).
The Secretary-General of Sant’Egidio, Paolo Impagliazzo, jetted in the country and met the head of state on Tuesday in his office, where they held talks on the fate of the negotiations aimed at making the peace process inclusive.
“His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic, met with a delegation from the Community of Sant’Egidio led by its Secretary-General Paolo Implaglazzio to discuss how the process of the Rome Peace Initiative between the government of South Sudan and non-signatory opposition groups under the mediation of Community of Sant’Efidio is going to proceed,” a statement from the Office of the President read partly.
“In the remarks to the media after the meeting, Hon, Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin said, the delegation thanked H/E President Salva Kiir Mayardit for the spirit of encouraging the initiative for inclusive peace in South Sudan, ” it further read.
It is, however, not yet known when the Sant’Egidio delegation had arrived in Juba to engage with leaders on resuming the negotiations.
The president had suspended the talks due to alleged lack of commitment to adherence to the cessation of hostility agreement by members of SSOMA, especially the National Salvation Front (NAS) in some parts of Equatoria.
“H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit reiterated his gratitude to the Community of Sant’Egidio for the support and leadership they have been exhibiting since the commencement of the negotiations between the government of South Sudan and the non-signatory opposition groups to make the peace process more inclusive,” it added.
Ready but…
On October 29, 2021, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin, revealed the government was ready to resume the talks but on the condition that tough questions were answered by the holdout groups.
“There are reasons which ceased the talks [and] until answers are found to those reasons, the issue of halting the talks is not the problem. The problem is, give answers to why [you] violated the ceasefire we have agreed.
“If we get the answers that are convincing to the people of South Sudan, and the government; then definitely the talks will continue because what we want and what the government wants is peace, ” Dr Marial said.
It took an additional month for President Kiir to order the line ministry to work on the logistics to resume the negotiations as he pledged support for peace citing persuasion from quarters including Pope Francis of the Catholic Church.
SSOMA leaders Pagan Amum and Gen Paul Malong then expressed their willingness to participate in the discussions. However, NAS leader Gen Thomas Cirilo held firmly to his stance vowing not to join his peers.
But nothing has happened a month later in the new year, as hopes of reviving the famous talks have been dashed. Last month, the Presidential Press Secretary, Ateny Wek Ateny, said the date was yet to be assigned. He said everything depended on when the delegation led by Presidential Advisor on National Security, Tut Gatluak, would return to Juba from Khartoum.
“I don’t have any idea yet until Tut Gatluak comes back to the country,” said Mr Ateny, as he responded to a question on whether there was an update on the talks’ resumption since it was scheduled for January 2022.