Yiep Joseph
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The talks between the government and the Non-Signatory South Sudan Opposition Group (NSSOG) could be headed for a collapse after it emerged that the two sides are yet to agree on the resumption of dialogue.
The NSSOG includes Real SPLM, headed by Pagan Amum; the National Salvation Front, led by Thomas Cirillo; and the South Sudan United Front/Army, headed by Paul Malong.
Addressing the media yesterday, the Minister of Information, Communication, Technology, and Postal Services, Michael Makuei said the government did not intend to yield to the demands for a roundtable discussion as proposed by the groups but would instead insist on the initial areas of discussion. SSNOG had proposed an all-inclusive discussion on issues affecting the country in a venue outside South Sudan. The government objected to this.
“When the agenda (roundtable discussion) was brought to us, we said no, we are not attending. We are going to the original agenda; which we had agreed was what had been happening,” Makuei said.
Makuei said that as the country prepares for the election, there is a need for the group to come to the country and take part in the election.
“If they (SSNOG) do not come for the roundtable discussion here (South Sudan), let them come and join us in the election so that they can be elected by their people so that they can tell people what they want,” he said.
He said the government is still waiting for the Sant’Egidio Community to set the agenda for the discussion hoping that the mediator will not push for the discussion.
“We are still waiting. It is the Sant’Egidio Community that is handling the case, and up until now they have not called us for the meeting, so we are still waiting for them,” he said.
Makuei claimed that the holding group continued to obstruct peace through various plans and demands.
“Every time they (NSSOG) are invited, they come up with a new agenda,” he said.
“They (NSSOG) are giving unnecessary conditions and coming up every now and then with a new agenda, while the agreed agenda should be the one to be followed,” he explained.
Makuei appealed to the NSSOG and proposed that the possible way for the talks to move forward is for them to be conducted in Juba.
“We are calling upon them to come; if they want the round table conference, we will hold it here,” he said.
In an interview with The City Review, Garang Malual Deng, a spokesperson for the South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A), said the talks faced an uncertain future after lengthy silence from the government.
“The Rome talks are dying, brother. The government is not interested in talks,” Garang said.
According to him, the NSSOG is waiting for what mediators will do as a way forward. He added that should the talks collapse, the citizens should only blame the government.
“Our simple message to the South Sudanese is to let them know that the government is not ready to bring inclusive peace and permanent peace to the country,” he said.
Garang blamed the government for preaching about the election while most preparations were not in place.
“The government is engaging in calling for elections, and they are very aware that the country is not ready for elections,” he said.
The talks, which are held in Rome, began in 2019 but have failed to end violence in some parts of the country, despite a ceasefire that was signed in January 2020.
The parties to the Rome Peace talks have stuck to their hardline positions, even as the mediator waits and pushes to meet them on the sidelines to break the deadlock on the next step of talks.
The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) and the Non-Signatory South Sudan Opposition Group (NSSOG) disagreed in Rome when they met in March 2023 over the agenda of the meeting.
This was after the non-signatories preferred a roundtable approach involving fresh inclusive discussions, as the government favoured the continuation of the talks from where they stopped last time, incorporating some SSNOG into the security mechanisms.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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