The leader of Federal Democratic Party, one of the dissident groups in South Sudan’s conflict, said they had received an invitation to attend the IGAD-brokered peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Gabriel Changson Chang, a former youth and sports minister, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that peace talks are expected to start on 3 May.

But the East African regional bloc, which facilitates the peace process, has not yet announced the date publicly.

According to the invitation letter, Changson said, there will be a workshop on security arrangements before the start of the talks.

“They said there will be a workshop on security arrangements. If it will be for all the stakeholders that means we will all arrive there on 30th, if it will only be for the main parties the rest will be there on 2 May. Because they have planned the talks to begin on 3 May. 1 and 2 will be the workshop,” Changson said.

Last week, IGAD postponed the talks that were scheduled to begin on 26 April to a later date to be communicated in due course.