The leaders of the warring SPLM-IO and SPLM-Juba factions held a long closed-door meeting in the presence of two East African leaders in Addis Ababa last night, after the afternoon opening of the IGAD Summit.
IGAD, African Union and United States representatives made speeches at the opening session of the IGAD Summit of Heads of State and Government yesterday afternoon, attended by President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and other East African leaders.
Afterwards the SPLM-Juba faction leader Salva Kiir and SPLM-IO faction leader Riek Machar met for up to about six hours in the presence of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Sources did not say whether other aides, members of the mediation team or representatives of other countries were in the room with these four men.
Hailemariam, who is also the chairman of the East African bloc Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), hinted yesterday afternoon in his speech that IGAD may end its role in mediation of the South Sudan conflict if the negotiators fail to make meaningful progress in the talks at this summit.
In that case the regional body may refer the issue to the African Union and United Nations Security Council, he said.
Kiir’s meeting with Machar and the IGAD chairman continued this morning, sources suggested, without knowing whether progress was made or not.
IGAD is expected to make a statement later Friday afternoon.