An alliance of opposition factions signed on Monday a peace agreement with South Sudanese government to stop the hostilities and continue the political dialogue in order to participate in the ongoing peace process in the country.
The Rome Declaration on the Peace Process in South Sudan was signed in Rome between the government and South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA).
The SSOMA is an opposition coalition that refused to sign the 2018 peace agreement.
Talks were organized by the Roman Catholic Sant’ Egidio peace group and in presence of the SPLM/A-10 and NDM and the IGAD.
Signatories of the agreement reaffirmed their desire to promote political dialogue in order to facilitate reconciliation and achieve stability by addressing what they called "the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan."
It was signed by Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who headed the government delegation, leaders of the opposition alliance including Thomas Cirillo Swaka, Paul Malong Awan Anei, and Pagan Amum Okiech as well as the leaders of the three other groups.
They stressed they “are now convinced that the current conflict in the country requires comprehensive political participation in order to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable peace with non-signatories of the peace agreement.”
“We have agreed that the dialogue would continue under the auspices of the Catholic Church in consultation with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD) and with the support of regional organizations and the international community,” they added.
