Leaders of South Sudan’s warring factions, SPLA-Juba and SPLA-IO were scheduled to convene a mini-summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa today on how to end the crisis.
SPLM-Juba spokesman Michael Makuei earlier announced that the upcoming IGAD summit would build on the progress of the Kiir-Machar meeting starting on Tuesday, today.
SPLM-IO Head of External Relations Committee Dhieu Mathok told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the SPLM-IO chief negotiator Taban Deng and the government chief negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial held a meeting yesterday in which they set an agenda for the two leaders’ meeting today.
He said the meeting is expected to last for two days before the IGAD Head of States summit takes place on 29 January on the South Sudan crisis.
Dhieu further said the two leaders will discuss outstanding issues including systems of governance and distribution of power as well as security arrangements in a transitional period.
Separately, a source in Addis Ababa indicated that meetings of African Union foreign ministers have kicked off yesterday in Addis Ababa in preparation for the expected IGAD summit.
Meanwhile another meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council was also being held. The same source said former Nigerian president and head of African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan Olusegun Obasanjo is expected to release his findings on crimes and abuses committed during the South Sudan conflict.