The holdout groups that did not sign the 2018 revitalized peace agreement and have been holding peace talks with the government mediated by the Community Sant’Egidio in Rome, Italy, are divided about the talks being moved to Kenya.

In December President Salva Kiir wrote to his Kenyan counterpart, Samuel Ruto, requesting the latter to mediate talks between the government and the Non-Signatory South Sudan Opposition Group (NSSOG).

The group is made up of the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Gen. Thomas Cirillo, Real SPLM led by former SPLM Party Secretary-General Pagan Amum, South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A) of former army chief Gen. Paul Malong, the National Democratic Movement-Patriotic Front (NDM-PF) of Amb. Emmanuel Ajawin and the South Sudan National Movement for Change/Army (SSNMC/A).

The National Salvation Front in a statement on Thursday however said they were not consulted about the move, did not receive any communication from the government in Juba, and prefer to have pre-mediation talks in Rome.

“On 13 January 2024, the Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of NAS, Gen. Thomas Cirillo Swaka received a letter dated 5 January 2024 from President Dr. William Ruto Kenya. In his letter, President Ruto offered to partner with the Community of Sant 'Egidio in mediating and hosting the peace talks in Kenya. The NSSOG did not receive any formal notification from President Salva Kiir Mayardit of his intention to change the mediation and the venue,” the statement read in part, “On 27 January 2024, after consultations with the other NSSOG members, NAS together with the National Democratic Movement - Patriotic Front (NDM-PF), and the South Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC) wrote a response to President Ruto, stating the NSSOG's surprise in the intention of President Kiir to request for a change of venue and mediation of talks to Kenya from Rome and the Community of Sant 'Egidio without consultation.”

“The letter also clarified to President Ruto that there had never been any disagreement between the parties over mediation and venue but on substantive issues (Ada), that Sant 'Egidio and Rome had provided a safe environment for frank and credible discussions and that the NSSOG are waiting for the R-TGONU to return to the talks in Rome,” it added.

According to NAS Spokesperson Samuel Suba, the last time the two sides met in March 2023, the government delegation requested the mediation team to return to Juba for consultations.

“The National Salvation Front, the National Democratic Movement - Patriotic Front, and the South Sudan Democratic Movement are of the view that the proposed pre-mediation meeting be convened in Rome, Italy,” the statement emphasized.

In a rejoinder, National Democratic Movement-Patriotic Front’s (NDM-PF) leader, Emmanuel Ajawin, said they heard about Kiir’s request to Ruto to host the talks in Kenya on social media.

“First of all, the initiative is not from the government of Kenya. It was President Kiir who wrote a letter to Kenyan President William Ruto requesting him to mediate between the government and the non-signatories. We heard it on social media like many other South Sudanese and even the Community Sant’ Egidio,” he explained. “On 13 January, I, as the coordinator of the NSSOG received a letter from the Kenyan government addressed to all the five non-signatory groups. The message's main content is that President Salva Kiir has written to President Ruto to mediate between us and the government. And President Ruto invited us for a consultative meeting with him in Nairobi before any negotiation.”

“The NSSOG met on 24 January to discuss the invitation of the Kenyan government to come up with one united position but unfortunately we could not agree due to differences in our opinion,” Ajawin added.

He said an interview with Radio Tamazuj that there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered and that since the Rome Talks have not succeeded what will be the expected outcome of talks in Nairobi?

“We have been negotiating with the same government for more than four years and they were not serious during the talks. So, what made them change their mind now and  begin other talks in Nairobi?” Ajawin asked, adding: “What will be new in this round of talks? These are some questions that need to be answered before we accept or refuse the initiative.”

The NDM-PF leader said some NSSOG members said the talks should continue in Rome where the environment is conducive while others expressed concerns about the security in Nairobi. He added that these issues should be addressed in a consultative meeting with the Kenyan government.

Asked which members of the group agreed to attend the talks in Nairobi, Ajawin said the Real SPLM of Gen. Pagan Amum and South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A) of former army Chief Gen. Paul Malong.

“I believe, you have been following since the rumors about the initiative circulated. The SSUF/A issued a statement and welcomed the initiative and the Real SPLM also issued a statement and expressed their readiness for Nairobi,” he stated. “The other three groups which include NAS, SSFMC, and NDM-PF demanded that there should be serious discussions and we should come up with a clear road map for the way forward.”

He said the group of three responded to Ruto that they would prefer the consultative meeting to be held outside Nairobi and that Malong and Amum wrote expressing their readiness to participate in the meeting in Nairobi.

According to Ajawin, they are yet to receive a reply from President Ruto.

SSUF/A leader Gen Malong acknowledged receipt of a letter from the Kenyan government inviting his groups for peace talks.

“The letter is about the new Kenyan initiative and we have responded to it detailing our position,” he said. “SSUF and the Real SPLM have accepted the invitation and will participate in the talks.”

Asked if they accepted to participate in the talks individually or as a coalition, Malong said he could not speak for the other opposition groups.

Meanwhile, Sunday De John, Gen. Malong’s former spokesperson who now leads a splinter group of the SSUF/A known as the SSUF-Progressive, the non-signatory group’s agenda is unclear and urged the Kenyan government to invite other opposition groups to the planned peace talks.

“General Paul Malong and Gen. Pagan Amum have been using the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA) as their platform and they made a framework that if they do not invite someone, this person should not be part of any peace talks,” he charged. “Based on the request of President Kiir, the Kenyan government should not repeat the same mistake that was applied at the Rome Talks to give excessive unnecessary authority to Pagan and Malong to determine who comes to Sant’Egidio’s table and who should not come. Kenyans should avoid this scenario.”

De John added: “I would also advise the Kenyan government that they must seek the opinions of South Sudanese because there are no peace talks that happen without civil society organizations, rights groups, and parties in exile.”

He warned that if the talks are not inclusive, there will be people waging war on the ground rendering them futile.

“If they sit in Nairobi and a certain movement which is not on the table starts attacking people in any town in South Sudan, this will be a negation for their efforts. There is a need to call on all parties to sit so that they can participate and discuss,” he stated. “Secondly, most of the parties they are engaging are expatriates in the sense that they hold dual citizenship. They do not feel the pain South Sudanese are going through in the country or the refugee camps. They act big because they need status. They do not fight to ensure that South Sudan becomes stable and citizens get the freedom and prosperity they deserve.”

“Kenyan authorities should look at this matter not from the angle of elites but from the angle of the common citizens of South Sudan because the major interest of elites is to divide power among themselves and gain access to the country's resources for self-enrichment, as they did earlier.” De John added.

He emphasized that the talks be inclusive and not left to 4 or 5 people or groups as this approach will not deliver a lasting solution to the problems of South Sudan.