Peace talks between the transitional government and some holdout groups will begin on May 10 in Nairobi, according to the South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A), one of the opposition groups led by former army chief Gen. Paul Malong.

A series of pre-talk consultations have been going on in the Kenyan capital to bring the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) and some holdout groups to the negotiation table.

Kenya’s mediation is led by former army commander Lazurus Sumbeiywo, who also mediated the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Some of the holdout opposition groups, who did not join the 2018 peace agreement, now seem to have accepted the Kenyan-led mediation after some months of suspicion.

The opposition groups that have been engaging in consultations in Nairobi include SSUF/A, led by former army chief Gen. Paul Malong, and Real-SPLM, led by former SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum. The other holdout opposition group led by Gen. Thomas Cirillo and NDM-PF led by Emmanuel Ajawin is still reluctant to join the talks in Nairobi.

Initially, the peace talks were being mediated by the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome, but dialogue stalled in March last year.

Garang Deng, the spokesman of the SSUF/A, told Radio Tamazuj that their delegates have arrived in Nairobi and are engaging with the Kenya authorities for pre-talk consultations.

“Yes, the date for the peace talks has been set. What we know is that the official talks will begin on May 10,” Deng said. “Most of us are in Nairobi, and others will come during the week.”

When asked about the agenda of the peace negotiations, Deng said: “We don’t know when the talks will end, and for the agenda, we are yet to be informed officially about the agenda of the talks.”

Last month, Emmanuel Ajawin, who is also the chairperson of the National Democratic Movement Patriotic Front (NDM-PF), told Radio Tamazuj that they don’t trust the peace talks being relocated to Kenya.

Mr Ajawin demanded that the talks be returned to Rome under the Community Sant’Egidio in Rome to decide whether all the parties can trust Kenya.

In December 2023, President Salva Kiir Mayardit requested Kenya’s President William Ruto to take over the mediation lead from the community of Sant’egidio in Rome, saying that the talks had taken long in Rome’s hands without resolution.