September 25, 2020 (JUBA) -The alliance of South Sudanese holdout groups, SOMMA, has suspended the South Sudan United Front (SSUF) of General Paul Malong ahead of the resumption of peace talks in Rome next October.
In a statement issued on Friday 25 September, the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance Leadership Council announced that "the activities of South (SSUF in SSOMA has been suspended "with immediate effect".
"In its extraordinary meeting held on the 25th September 2020 SSOMA-LC have discussed and with majority vote decided to suspend SSUF/A because of breach of (the) communication channel of SSOMA and the spirit of comradeship and trust within the Alliance," said the statement.
Reliable sources told Sudan Tribune that the alliance had been observed that General Malong established a secondary channel of communication with the Sant’Egidio mediators.
Also, the sources claimed that Malong and Kiir resumed contacts and discuss regularly opposition plans for the peace process.
The government and SSOMA are scheduled to resume peace talks next month.
A new round of peace talks will be held in Rome from 5 to 9 October.
It s not clear how the mediation will organize the upcoming talks.
The alliance consists of the Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (R-SPLM), National Salvation Front (NAS). South Sudan United Front (SSUF) and the United Democratic Revolutionary Movement/Army (UNDRM/A), National Democratic Movement-PF (NDM-PF), and Sudan National Movement for Change (SSNMC).
Malong who was part of Kiir government joined the holdout opposition groups that refused to sign the revitalized peace agreement because it did not settle the "root causes" of the conflict in term of regional autonomy and wealth sharing.
On 22 September, the SSUF leader relieved his group former spokesman Sunday de John and replaced him by Nyamach Nyang Chol.
(ST)