The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition announced on Friday their return to the negotiating table in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after their withdrawal from the peace process earlier in the week.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, SPLM-IO official Dhieu Mathok said the group decided to re-enter the talks: “In a little bit we will enter the meeting room … and we will give our official position inside the meeting room.”

After attending the opening ceremony of the talks on Monday, SPLM-IO declined to participate in further talks on Tuesday, saying they wanted to deal only with the South Sudanese government, and not the other invited ‘stakeholders’.

The group then came under pressure from mediators of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which accused them of breaching an earlier commitment to participate in ‘inclusive’ roundtable talks.

By Friday the rebel group apparently agreed to reverse its boycott.

However, Dhieu said that they still would prefer direct negotiations with the government alone, relegating the other parties to a merely consultative role.

He noted that they will continue to demand for that within the framework of the multi-stakeholder talks.

IGAD confirmed the return of the rebels to the table, announcing on its Facebook page that the talks resumed with a ‘full house’ in ‘multi-stakeholder roundtable’ format.

Meanwhile, aid agencies have voiced concern that the parties have not made sufficient progress toward meeting a 10 August deadline for agreeing on the terms for formation of a transitional government.

Oxfam stated today, “The people of South Sudan expected a political agreement that would deliver a transitional government to steer them out of conflict and bring an end to the violence that has engulfed the country for eight months.”

“Instead, the leaders of South Sudan have failed to set aside their differences, and fighting continues to ravage the country as a famine looms.” 

Photo: Negotiators return to the table in Addis Ababa, 8 August 2014 (IGAD)

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SPLM-IO says not committed to ‘roundtable’ format for peace talks (6 Aug.)