Parties to the Rome peace talks resume discussion on Tuesday. (Courtesy).

Parties to the shaky Rome peace talks resumed negotiations on Tuesday in the Italian capital with the full participation of delegations from the Non-Signatory Opposition alliance and the government.

This is according to Garang Malual Deng Yaak, Spokesperson of the South Sudan United Front led by Gen. Paul Malong Awan.

Speaking to Eye Radio, Malual confirmed the resumption of talks and that all parties including the National Salvation Front of Thomas Cirilo are back to the round-table discussion.

“All the parties involved in the peace talks in Rome have arrived, only that the government arrived yesterday very late, that’s why the peace yesterday was pushed for today, and now the talks are on,” he said.

“The groups who are here now in the talks are SUF led by Gen. Paul Malong Awan and the other group is real SPLM led by Gen. Pagan Amum and the other one is NAS led by Thomas Cirilo, all of them are here.”

He added: “The talks are still on, therefore what has been discussed will be clear by tomorrow, not today.”

The Rome peace initiative began with the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the government and opposition groups in January 2020, and subsequent negotiations on the root causes of political violence in the country.

In January this year, Presidential Affairs Minister Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin declared the resumption of political engagement with the unity government.

The talks resumed after Juba pulled out twice in 2021 on the allegations that NAS attacked and killed four people including two catholic nuns along Juba-Nimule Highway.

The second boycott was in November last year when the government alleged that the non-signatory to the 2018 peace deal was buying time to prepare for war.

NAS and the allied groups denied the claims.

However, upon Pope Francis’s visit to South Sudan in February this year, President Kiir lifted the suspension of the talks.

Following the decision, the Secretary General of the Sant’ Egidio Community in Italy, met with the government in Juba on the possibility of resuming the peace talks.