Gov’t suspends talks with Malong, Pagan indefinitely over ‘last minute developments’ in Juba

JUBA – South Sudan’s revitalized unity government has indefinitely suspended talks with the country’s holdout opposition alliance faction, South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance, led by General Paul Malong Awan and former SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum Okiech citing what it says are “last minutes developments” back in Juba.

Talks were initially set for Nairobi, Kenya, but authorities in the East African country have played down a request by the St. Egidio Community to allow them use Kenya as venue of the talks.

Although there are suggestions that President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government intervened and requested Kenyan authorities to reject any talk being conducted in its soil, it remains unclear why would Kenya – which has promised several times to support South Sudan peace process – reject such peaceful requests.

In a letter to the community of St. Egidio on Saturday, South Sudan’s minister of Presidential Affairs Nhial Deng Nhial said the government was not in a position to go to Rome for talks with the holdout opposition groups, saying last minute developments in Juba made it impossible for the government delegation to leave.

“As you may be aware, the Delegation of (R-TGONU) was scheduled to depart today for Rome via Addis Ababa to participate in peace negotiations under your kind auspices, with the (SSUF/A) & Real SPLM components of (SSOMA),” Nhial said in the letter obtained by Sudans Post.

“I regret to inform you that this will no longer be possible due to last minute developments that are totally beyond our control. I am accordingly requesting postponement of the Talks till further notice,” the letter added.

It further said the government “shall of course endeavor to propose a new date for the Talks as the circumstances prompting our request for the Soon postponement have abated.”