Ethiopian athletics legend Haile Gebre-Selassie on Thursday arrived in the South Sudanese capital, Juba to participate in the inaugural Great South Sudan Marathon on April 8.

The Great South Sudanese Run's main objective is to promote peace and raise funds for the war-torn country that is facing famine.

The Ethiopian athletics legend was received at Juba International Airport by South Sudan’s Minister of Culture and Sports Nadia Arop Dodi and other sports officials.

Haile later met with President Salva Kiir in Juba, where he pointed out that the event aims at assisting humanitarians in their work to help thousands of South Sudanese affected by the current famine.