South Sudan rebel leader pushes for wider participation in Nairobi talks

JUBA – South Sudanese rebel leader General Stephen Buay Rolnyang urged Kenyan mediators on Friday to include several opposition groups not part of the revitalized peace agreement in the ongoing Nairobi talks.

Buay, head of the South Sudan People’s Movement/Army (SSPM/A), is participating in the talks alongside others such as Pagan Amum and Paul Malong Awan but is calling for a more inclusive process.

“The reason why we came to Nairobi is not to talk with the government in order for us to lobby for positions. We are not here for political agreement, but we are here to talk about the problems of South Sudanese people, the grievances of everyday citizens and solve them forever,” Buay told Sudans Post in an interview.

He argued that including all non-signatory groups to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement is necessary to address the root causes of conflict and prevent future outbreaks of violence.

“For the conflicts to be avoided beyond any peace agreement with the government, the Kenyan mediation must include all the opposition groups including the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) Kitgwang faction led by General Simon Gatwech Dual and others immediately,” Buay said.

The SPLA-IO Kitgwang faction is led by General Simon Gatwech Dual, who reportedly declined an invitation to the talks due to a lack of progress on implementing the 2022 Khartoum Peace Agreement.

Sudans Post could not independently verify this claim.

Buay further asserted that other rebel leaders like Chuol Geaka and Buay Kandon were also excluded from the talks.

He warned that excluding these groups could render the entire process a waste of time and resources.

“Gatwech is not invited and people like Buay Kangdong and Chuol Geake are not also invited. The mediators need to invite these groups or else this process will purely be a waste of time and resources by the government of Kenya,” Buay added.