March 10th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan government said on Saturday that it is ready to negotiate with holdout opposition groups including the one led by Gen. Thomas Cirilo Swaka saying it is ready to include anyone in the country’s fragile peace process.
Gen. Thomas Cirilo Swaka who is the leader of the National Salvation Front (NAS) is not a signatory to the revitalized peace agreement signed by President Salva Kiir’s government and opposition groups including the SPLM-IO led by Dr. Riek Machar Teny in September last year.
Cirilo said he will not join the agreement unless it is reopened for renegotiation and to include the establishment of a federal system of government in South Sudan during the 36-months transitional period.
Cirilo also demands that his federal system of governance be based on the three South Sudan regions of Upper Nile, Bahr Al-Ghazal and Equatoria in addition to the establishment of a lean cabinet and parliament.
As quoted by the Eye Radio, South Sudan’s Presidential Advisor on Security and head of the National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) Tutkew Gatluak said the government is ready to negotiate with them calling on various opposition groups to join the agreement.
“Am calling upon those who did not signed this agreement especially Gen. Thomas Cirilo to accept because we are ready to negotiate with him and sign an agreement,” he said.
Gatluak further reiterated the commitment of his government to the implementation of the peace agreement in letter and spirit and that the government do not want to exclude anyone from the implementation of peace agreement.
“We are committed to implement this agreement comprehensively and now we don’t want to leave anybody,” he added.
