The Community of Sant’Egidio has said the talks between the government and the South Sudan Opposition Alliance Movement (SSOMA) will resume in January 2022.
The decision was made at the preparation workshop for the talks which was conducted between December 14 and December 17, 2021, in Nairobi, Kenya.
A statement released by the Sant’Egidio community states that the inclusion of the opposition in ceasefire monitoring would help in achieving lasting tranquillity in the country.
“This workshop, conducted in collaboration with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, follows the political agreement already signed by the parties in July 2021 in Rome,” the statement read in part.
“It was agreed that opposition groups will be fully included in all structures of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism by the end of March 2022. The inclusion of these groups is a necessary step to ensure full compliance with the agreement on the cessation of hostilities and is essential to bring peace to the country.”
Sant’Egidio community appreciated the international community and the Kenyan government for relentless support towards the final resolution of the South Sudanese conflict.
Talks halted
In August, the talks were halted by President Salva Kiir following the killing of two Catholic nuns along Juba-Nimule Highway. However, the perpetrators remain at large as the blames are weighed on the National Salvation Front led by Gen. Thomas Cirino.
But earlier this month, President Kiir called for the resumption of the talks during his address at the 5th Governors’ Forum in Juba.
He said the holdout groups were not bound to make peace a success.
Willing
The South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A) Deputy Chief of General Staff for Training and Research, Daniel Mach, last month said his party and Real SPLM led by Pagan Amum were willing for the talks.
Mach said they were only waiting for the official communication for the date of resumption from the Sant’Egidio community.
He added that it was the National Salvation Front (NAS) of Thomas Cirilo which was not willing for negotiations due to their claim that peace was not legitimate.
“They do not believe the peace is legitimate,” he said, adding that SSUF/A would only decline to participate if the venue of the negotiation was shifted to Juba.
“We are waiting for the official date to resume talks. The NAS has refused the talks, but our group is ready to go back to the negotiation table,” he reiterated.
Media reports further reveal that the Secretary-General of Sant’Egidio, Paolo Impagliazzo, and the Ceasefire Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) had promised the above workshop as a preparation for talks to resume in January 2022.