South Sudan's President Salva Kiir says he fears that his own party will turn against him after exiled opposition politicians return to government as a part of a recently signed peace deal, suggesting they will use money and influence to 'buy' members of the party in order to oust him.

Opposition factions SPLM-IO and SPLM-G10 are slated to return to Juba and take part in a transitional government together with Kiir. Politicians belonging to these groups had tried to oust Kiir through intra-party processes in December 2013 prior to the outbreak of the civil war and the split in the ruling party SPLM.

“If they find you unorganized... you will all be bought,” Kiir said Friday. He was speaking at SPLM House in Juba at the swearing-in of Jemma Nunu Kumba as the SPLM deputy secretary-general and acting secretary-general.

The president expressed mixed views on the peace deal that he signed in August. He hinted that some members of his government should expect to give up their positions when he appoints rebel officials in accordance with the deal, but he also expressed doubts about the long-term viability of the peace pact.

“This peace agreement which we have signed it is – in between. Either it will have to be implemented, which we have started, or it will be dismantled by other people who do not want it to be implemented.”

“So for us, the SPLM sitting here in front of me, we are for the implementation of this agreement. Even if it means tomorrow that when those who are fighting us come in and they are to be given positions in the government and you are told to get up from your chair and it is given to those who have been fighting us for the sake of our country you will have to get up and allow somebody,” said Kiir.

He went on to say that the return of his political opponents to Juba could bring dangers to the party and would potentially lead to another split.

“We will receive them and we will then sit in the same offices and then we will implement the agreement. But if they find you unorganized the way I think that you are now unorganized, you will all be bought,” Kiir told the party leaders gathered at SPLM House. “You will be bought and you will be the ones fighting us, the few that will not accept any bribery will be fighting our members here. That will be very shameful.”

“Some people may ask me, 'Where will they get money to buy us?' They have the money. They have the money they took from us here and they have their friends who will give them the money,” he added.

“The information I have about this peace agreement is that our brothers are told by their own friends to keep destabilizing South Sudan permanently so that South Sudanese do not see development,” he said.

'People are saying that these hard-headed people must go'

Earlier in his speech, Kiir also spoke of his fears that foreign powers want to remove him from office, saying he fears a secret agenda of “regime change.” Kiir urged his audience, a gathering of top SPLM leaders, to be cautious about friendship with foreign nations.

“Now, you have seen, the outside world has ganged up against us, they want to bury South Sudan alive, simply because the government of South Sudan do not accept to be manipulated, to be threatened so that it gives its sovereignty out to the other people,” said the president.

“So people are saying that these hard-headed people must go. And that regime-change policy has not died. You be careful. The people who were preaching this policy of regime-change can come to you today with nice words that they are our friends. Anyway, accept that friendship but with cautions.”

“There is nobody who can come say we will do this. South Sudan is our country. We liberated it. And we will remain in it as the ruling party called SPLM.”

LISTEN: Kiir speaks of fears of 'regime change' by foreign powers, further division in SPLM