S. SUDAN RIVALS ARRIVE IN ADDIS ABABA FOR PEACE TALKS
Addis Ababa, 30 Shafar 1435/1 January 2014 (MINA) – Negotiators representing South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his sacked vice-president Riek Machar have arrived in Addis Ababa for peace talks.
A diplomatic source told Anadolu as quoted by Mi’Raj News Agency (MINA), Machar’s negotiators will raise five main issues during the talks.
Topped by the release of people detained by the government since Kiir announced foiling a Machar-led coup attempt in mid-December.
They will also demand an investigation into the deaths that occurred in Juba since then as well as means of establishing a democratic system.
The in-camera meeting – brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) – will be chaired by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom.
Previous day, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said that two rival leaders will fly to Addis Ababa and face to face, Ahram Online reports.
Fighting erupted in Juba on December 15 between army units loyal to Machar and other units loyal to Kiir.
Shortly later, the fighting had seeped into other states, claiming the lives of hundreds of people and displacing tens of thousands.
Machar’s forces had recaptured Bor, the capital of the Jonglei State, on Tuesday.
The United Nations has warned about the growing number of displaced people in South Sudan, as the humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate in the African country.
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on Sunday that about 180,000 people had been displaced by the conflict in the world’s youngest country
Aid agencies also warned about the separation of thousands of children from their parents as a result of the violence.
On December 28, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon once again called for all violence, attacks and human rights abuses in the country to end immediately. (T/P09/P04).
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
