South Sudan’s warring leaders go into negotiations

Under the terms of a revamped peace initiative dubbed “IGAD-Plus”, South Sudan’s rival camps – the government of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar’s rebel forces – have until August 17 to hammer out a final peace agreement.

Mesfin said Kiir would return to Addis Ababa within 15 days to “finalise the peace agreement”.

Haile Michael, spokesman for a regional bloc mediating the talks, had said that he expected them to sign a “compromise document” in the end.

Several previous attempts to reach a negotiated settlement have failed.

Other revised areas of the regional proposal include limiting power sharing to the national institutions instead of expanding them to the states and local level.

The tripartite summit comes two days before the summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) slated for Monday, for the signing of an agreement between the opponents of the State of South Sudan if Organization’s endeavors in this regard became fruitful.

The conflict erupted in December 2013 after Mr Kiir accused Mr Machar, his sacked deputy, of plotting a coup.

Machar expressed shock to reporters after learning that Kiir had declined to sign.

Kiir watched the signing, after briefly shaking hands with Machar.

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, having gained independence from neighbouring Sudan four years ago. “Until there’s an appetite and demand for peace from the people, the conflict will continue”. “If it is signed today and then tomorrow we go

Kiir initially said he would not attend talks, complaining it was not possible to strike an effective deal because rebel forces have split. “The leader of any country threatening to kill journalists is extremely unsafe and utterly unacceptable”, said CPJ East Africa Representative Tom Rhodes in a press statement on Monday.