Malong threatens to pull out of Rome peace talks over arrest of senior commander

JUBA — South Sudan opposition leader Gen. Paul Malong Awan’s group SSUF/A has threatened to pull out of the ongoing peace negotiations with the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit in the Italian capital Rome, alleging that he has been attacked despite a ceasefire in place.

Since 2020, rebel groups, including Malong-led SSUF/A, who didn’t sign the revitalized peace agreement were gathered in Rome by the community of Sant’Egidio in an attempt to bring them to terms with the government and join the peace implementation.

In a statement, the SSUF/A military spokesman Col. Philip Deng Kuol accused the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) of attacks in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and threatened that it may consider to pull out of peace negotiations or any arrangement such as the ceasefire agreement with the government.

“Then, the leadership of South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A) regrets to inform the Rome-based Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio and the international community, the regional blocs, IGAD, the African Union (AU), the Troika and all peace-loving that, since we announced our locations and the size of the forces according to the requirements of Rome communique in preparation for the deployment of our members into the ranks of CTSAMVM structures by August 15, 2022 AD, the regime’s SSPDF have been regularly conducting a very malicious operations on the positions of our forces in different parts of greater Bahr El Ghazal region,” Deng said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

“However, as long as the government in Juba decided to keep on violating the ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities agreement signed between SSOMA and the government of RTGoNU, and if it would keeps on instigating the violation of a compromised ceasefire, then we would have no other option rather than to be forced one day to withdraw our commitment to the cessation of hostilities agreement of 2017 inked in Addis Ababa a half of a decade back,” it added.

The statement further said that “we will conduct our military operations in all locations in the country and our beloved civilians are urged to avoid all combat areas.”

On the other hand, all our forces are directed to vividly wield-up their military arsenals and stay in the maximum alert, because this is the only belligerent language that the government in Juba understands.”