Malong blamed Kiir’s government for running “a country where total impunity is the order of the day and the mantra is zero tolerance for the rule of law.”
The main opposition party, led by former Vice President Riek Machar, is welcoming the move saying that Malong’s presence will “expose the regime completely,” opposition spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel told The Associated Press.
Malong’s is the 14th opposition group intending to participate in talks which have yet to yield results. A ceasefire was signed on December 24 but was broken hours after being implemented and recent talks in February were inconclusive.
Conflict experts say the growing number of opposition factions joining the peace talks has become a fragmented “alphabet soup of groups,” which is encouraging leaders to form their own parties rather than join together.
“This move is designed to gain a seat at the peace talks and protect his (Malong’s) interests in any future political settlement,” said Alan Boswell, conflict analyst for Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based group focusing on armed violence.
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