December 8, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir on Thursday met a delegation from the Sant’Egidio community to discuss resumption of Rome peace talks between the government and the hold-out groups.

The meeting came weeks after government suspended the talks, citing the lack of commitment of the hold-out opposition groups in peace talks.

South Sudan’s Presidential Affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said Kiir and the delegation discussed the importance of political dialogue between the government and the hold out groups to end the violence.

He said Kiir lauded the community of Sant’Egidio for their commitment to support the peace process and bringing together both sides to agree on an inclusive peace process in the young nation.

For his part, the Secretary General of Sant’Egidio community, Paolo Impagliazzo reiterated their commitment to continue mediating between the government and holdout groups to find amicable solution to conflicts.

The holdout groups, now operating under a new umbrella of non-signatory South Sudan group, are a collection of armed and non-political organizations which declined to sign the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, claiming it did not address specifically the root causes of the conflict in the country.

More than five armed and non-dissident groups such as the National Salvation Front (NAS), South Sudan United Front (SSUF), the Real SPLM, South Sudan People’s Patriotic Movement (SSPPM), SPLM-IO Kitgwang of Gen. Simon Gatwech Dual and SPLM-IO of Gen. Johnson Olony operate independently and despite the presence of United Nations peacekeeping troops, these groups continue to cause havoc in the communities and control weakly governed areas.