General Oyai Deng Ajak, former chief of staff of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, on Thursday said he was in contact with rebel leaders fighting the government.
Several armed groups, including those led by former military chief Paul Malong and General Thomas Cirilo are not part of the September 2018 peace deal.
"I have contacts with them but our program will be made public when the time comes," General Oyai told Radio Tamazuj, without giving further details.
Oyai, who held other positions after leaving the military, including becoming the minister of investment and national security, said he is ready to form a rebel group in case the revitalised peace deal collapses.
“I am ready to join other forces if there is no peace. I have all the options and nothing can stop me,” he said.
“But if the peace agreement is implemented by Salva, I will return to Juba as a normal citizen. I will form my political party or join SPLM, and not the SPLM led by Salva Kiir,” he added.
The former minister, who was a member of the former detainees, rejected a merger with the ruling SPLM party, despite having been part of the Arusha reunification deal.
Oyai said the reunification deal signed in 2015 in Tanzania, by fragmented factions of the historical party, is not a priority as it has been overtaken by major events.
“The priority now is the unity of the South Sudanese people. We cannot reunite the party before we unite our people again,” he said.
He added: “What we need now is the implementation of the peace agreement. Salva should implement the agreement first so that our people can come back home,” he added.
“I will not change my mind and kneel in front of Salva Kiir if he does not unite the people of South Sudan. I will not return to SPLM under the leadership of Salva Kiir if there is no unity. The party has already collapsed.”
He said that it would be difficult for the president to unite the people of South Sudan.
General Oyai is currently living in neighboring Ethiopia.
President Salva Kiir, opposition leader Riek Machar, and several opposition groups signed a peace deal last year to establish a transitional government by May 12, 2019.
But the formation of the government was extended by six months to November after the parties failed to implement key provisions of the agreement such as creating a unified army and determining the number of states.