President of South Sudan Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar have committed to complete talks on the formation of an interim government within 60 days, or else face sanctions by East African states.

The two leaders held direct roundtable face-to-face discussions yesterday in the presence of a number of regional leaders, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

A communiqué issued after the meeting by IGAD, the East African regional body mediating the talks, “commends their commitment to expedite and complete dialogue on the formation of a transitional government of national unity within sixty (60) days.”

The two men also committed to “ensure unhindered humanitarian support to affected people with immediate effect.”

Should these terms on humanitarian access or political talks be violated, both the government and the rebels face sanctions, according to IGAD, which is chaired by the Ethiopian leader Hailemariam.

“They agreed to complete the dialogue process within the coming 60 days on what how, when and who... (for) the formation of the transitional government,” the Ethiopian leader said.

“Any attempt to stand in the way of peace will have consequences.”

”If they don't abide to this agreement... IGAD as an organisation will act to implement peace," he added, warning of possible "sanctions and punitive actions" without giving further details.

Yohannes Musa Pouk, a spokesman for SPLM-in-Opposition, also confirmed to Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the talks took place amid another threat from some countries to refer the matter to the AU Peace and Security Council and from there to the UN Security Council should the two sides fail to reach solutions.

Moreover, the IGAD communiqué itself, issued after the summit and released in the night, “resolves that IGAD Member States will take further collective action to pressure any party who fails to honour its commitments to date or the resolutions of this Communiqué, including through imposition of punitive measures.”

Though the summit concluded without specific agreement on what the interim government would look like and who would participate, IGAD stressed that the two South Sudanese leaders have agreed on ‘inclusive’ negotiations on the matter, with participation by “the Government of the Republic of South Sudan, the SPLM/A In Opposition, SPLM leaders (Former Detainees), political parties, civil society, and faith-based leaders.”

The document further “affirms that those stakeholders have the explicit right to determine the composition of their representation in consultation with the mediation.”

This provision comes after the government blocked some politicians from traveling to Addis Ababa to participate in a symposium organized by the IGAD mediation last week.