Civil Society Organizations are urging the IGAD mediators to bring the government’s delegation back to the negotiating table in order to end the conflict.

In a meeting last Friday, all negotiators agreed to form negotiating committees, except the government negotiators Nhial Deng and Michael Makuei.

Instead, Makuei and Nhial set new conditions on Friday for their participation in the talks, according to Radio Tamazuj.

When the newly formed negotiating committees started meeting on Monday, the government did not send representatives to participate.

The government’s team has set two conditions for their return to the talks:

That a matrix agreement on implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement be signed first before any talks on other issues and that ‘Rules of Procedure’ be set effectively limiting the talks to bilateral talks between them and the SPLM-IO.

In a press conference the Civil Society Organizations held yesterday in Addis Ababa, the team leader of the civil society group from Juba, Alokiir Malual Aguer, said the Committees’ meetings taking place in Addis Ababa these days would not succeed unless the government’s delegates return to the talks.

The SPLM in Opposition peace team returned to Addis Ababa two weeks ago.

“Given the ongoing meetings in the thematic groups and the absence of the government in the peace process, we do not believe that this ongoing process will bear tangible results for the implementation back in South Sudan,” she expressed worry.

Another member of the Civil Society Delegation, John Mawien, said his group is participating in the meetings, but said they do not see any success in the on-going Committees meetings.

“We are participating but we are not seeing the outcome because even though we are participating and people are dying in the areas and we are not the ones to sign this,” said Mr Mawien.

“It is the warring parties to sit down and implement everything and we are there to correct them that you have done this wrong and you have done this correct and let us move on such that they implement everything in our presence.

“But now the government is not present and we are continuing as the fighting is continuing. Who will stop that? It is the two warring parties who will stop.”

The three committees are on security, interim government and finance and economy.

They have been meeting since Monday in the absence of the Government’s delegation.