South Sudan’s Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth says that the reinstated SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum is considered to have again left the ruling party because he signed the so-called IGAD Compromise Agreement.

On Monday in Addis Ababa, Amum signed the IGAD peace proposal on behalf of the so-called SPLM 'Former Detainees', and not as a representative of the government.

Pagan Amum and some of the Former Detainees recently returned to Juba and rejoined the ruling party, but earlier they had participated in the peace talks as a third party – a role they continued to play yesterday.

Speaking on Monday at Juba International Airport, Makuei said the “so-called” civil society representatives, faith leaders, women's representative and others should not have signed the peace agreement because it does not serve the interest of the people of South Sudan.

He also singled out Pagan Amum for signing the deal, implying disloyalty to President Kiir.

Pagan Amum “defected and he has signed that document as a leader of the Former Detainees,” said Makuei. “So I really doubt if Arusha will be working again.”

He was referring to the so-called Arusha Process, an initiative the government started last year with the help of Tanzania, Finland and Switzerland as an alternative to the IGAD process, resulting in the return to Juba of some of the exiled SPLM dissidents known as the 'G10' or 'Former Detainees', including Amum himself

The information minister concluded, “We strongly believe that this document cannot serve the people of south Sudan. It is a sellout and we cannot accept it.”