The South Sudan National Democratic Alliance (SSNDA), a group of holdout rebel factions that refused to join the revitalized peace deal, said it met with the IGAD special envoy in Addis Ababa, where they discussed issues pertaining to the peace process.
Gen. Thomas Cirillo, leader of the South Sudan National Democratic Alliance (SSNDA), told Radio Tamazuj Thursday that the revitalized peace deal failed to address the root causes of the conflict.
Cirillo, who leads a rebel faction calling itself the National Salvation Front (NAS), said they are ready to sign a genuine peace, pointing out that they will not join the peace agreement in its current form.
The opposition leader further said he explained to the IGAD envoy the reasons for not joining the revitalized peace agreement.” We don’t care about the formation of the government of national unity in May 2019,” he said.
Cirillo said they demand for a federal system in the country.
In November, the IGAD Council of Ministers directed the IGAD Special Envoy for South Sudan to reach out to any warring groups who are not signatories to the peace deal.
The East African regional bloc warned that the non-signatories would "be categorized as spoilers of the peace process" if they reject peace.
The holdout alliance is composed of NAS; SSNMC, NDM; and UDRA.