Direct talks between the opposing factions in South Sudan have started in the Ethiopian capital.
IGAD Special Envoys Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin of Ethiopia and General Lazarus Sumbeiywo of Kenya are mediating the talks.
Ethiopian minister of Foreign Affairs Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the parties started the talks in the afternoon.
“We wish all our best for the successful conclusion of the direct peace talks of South Sudan which is being officially opened now,” he said in a written statement.
“South Sudan deserves peace and development not war. We appreciate the members of the two negotiating teams for the progress they have made today,”
The talks will continue on Sunday 13:00 said Dina Mufti, spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, in an interview with Reuters
For her part, African Union chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said, “Stopping the fighting in South Sudan is not only a humanitarian imperative but also a strategic necessity, in order to halt the rapid descent of Africa’s newest nation into collapse.”
File photo: Riek Machar (left) and Salva Kiir (right)