Gabriel Changon, who leads a faction of the opposition alliance, has been picked by the Vatican to attend a spiritual retreat next week.

The opposition umbrella (SSOA) split into two factions after the election of General Peter Gatdet for the chairmanship of the group but the interim leader Gabriel Changson refused to accept the result of the vote in November 2018.

The opposition coalition is a signatory of the September 2018 peace deal, which was designed to end the youngest nation's five-year civil war.

Hussein Abdelbagi, the official spokesman of the SSOA faction led by Gabriel Changson, told Radio Tamazuj on Friday that they had received an official invitation to attend meetings at the Vatican.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, his vice presidents and other key opposition politicians are invited to attend a retreat at the Vatican.

Abdelbagi said the meeting, expected April 10, would bring together South Sudan peace partners.” The visit aims at bringing the peace partners together and they will meet with Pope Francis,” he said.

“The invitation letter to Gabriel came after an initiative by the South Sudan Council of Churches to reunite the two factions of the opposition alliance,” he added.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said in a press statement on April 3 that the retreat "will be a moment of spirituality and, above all, an invitation for politicians as well as all the authorities to realize the responsibility they have" to promote peace.

He also confirmed that Pope Francis will "participate at the end" of the retreat.