South Sudan’s national alliance of political parties said they have been left out of Thursday’s peace consultations in Addis Ababa.
Kornelio Kon Ngu, a leading member of the alliance in Juba, told Radio Tamazuj today that the East African regional bloc IGAD did not invite them to attend the consultation phase in Addis Ababa on Thursday.
Kon, who is serving as deputy minister of agriculture in Juba, said the bloc considers those who have guns. “The invited groups are all armed and they are the armed opposition alliance outside, the SPLA-IO and the government,” Kon said.
“Those who are opposing peaceful like us were not invited to attend the consultations. The other parties will join the peace talks on 17 May,” he added.
The Inter-governmental Authority on Development on Sunday invited key representatives of each of the South Sudan parties to go to Ethiopia for consultations.
The East African regional bloc decided to intensify its engagement with the parties with a view to identifying possible options for unlocking the stalemate during the next peace talks.