Government officials are currently engaged in peace talks with officials of the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SOMA) in Naivasha, Nakuru County, Kenya.

In attendance is a team from Reconstituted Joint Monitoring & Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), overseeing implementation of R-ARCSS that has accompanied the government officials for the talks.

The commission tweeted on Monday norming: ”Chairperson H.E Maj.Gen (rtd) Charles Tai Gituai, is attending the ongoing ” Sant’Egidio Initiative for Political Dialogue in South Sudan” in Naivasha- Kenya. In attendance are RTGoNU representatives and Parties to the Rome Declaration and Rome Resolution.”

President Salva Kiir sent Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin (pictured) as the special envoy to lead the negotiation to bring the opposition faction into the 2018 peace arrangement.

Talking to SSBC before boarding the plane for the peace talk, Benjamin said: “We are meeting a section of SSOMA led by Pagan Amum of the Real SPLM and the one led by General Paul Malong of South Sudan United Front Army.”

“We will meet these two parties in order to discuss the root causes of the conflict. We expect the root causes which will be the agenda as they proposed; I think will be discussed within the context of the revitalized peace agreement.” 

SSOMA faction is led by Thomas Cirillo, Paul Malong, Pagan Amum and other leaders. The negotiation was initiated by Rome-based Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio 2019.

The talks have been aiming at convincing SSOMA to support the 2018 peace deal that was signed between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr Riek Machar.

More to follow…