South Sudan’s exiled opposition leader Riek Machar said on Wednesday he held a fruitful meeting with President Salva Kiir in the capital Juba.

Machar is in Juba for a three-day visit to hold talks with President Salva Kiir as both leaders seek to end the impasse over the number of states and security arrangements.

In a brief statement after today’s meeting, Machar did not give details but said the talks were "good".

“We will have another meeting with mechanisms on Thursday. I also want to seize this opportunity to say happy Christmas to the people of South Sudan,” Machar said.

 The meeting was held in the presence of the deputy head of Sudan’s sovereign council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti.

Tut Gatluak, Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs, described the meeting between Kiir and Machar as "good". He said Kiir and Machar agreed to address critical pending tasks and implement the peace agreement.

“There will be more meetings with military and political mechanisms on Thursday morning so President Kiir and Dr. Riek are briefed by the mechanisms,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo reiterated Sudan’s commitment to support peace and stability in South Sudan.” We also urge the media to support the implementation of the peace agreement,” he said.

 Sudan and Uganda are guarantors to the peace deal that seeks to more than five years of civil war in South Sudan.

The Sudanese official said he is encouraged that the ceasefire deal in South Sudan is holding and violence among signatories to the peace agreement has decreased.

“We are happy because the parties are respecting the ceasefire agreement, we want to assure the public that we are monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement,” Dagalo said.

President Kiir and opposition leaders missed the November 12 deadline to form a unity government and agreed to give themselves another 100 days to form the government.

President Salva Kiir, opposition leader Riek Machar and a handful of other groups signed the peace deal in September 2018. However the parties have failed to create a unified army and determine the number of states since the deal was signed.