The chief mediator of the South Sudan conflict, Seyoum Mesfin, left the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa yesterday afternoon heading to Juba together with the head of the South Sudanese government delegation Nhial Deng Nhial.
Mesfin, a former Ethiopian foreign minister and now lead mediator on behalf of the East African bloc IGAD, already spent two days in the South Sudanese capital earlier this week.
This will be Mesfin’s third visit to Juba since the start of the negotiations. His trip comes after the adjournment of further direct consultations on the draft cessation of hostilities agreement, which began Thursday morning at 9:00.
During the mediator’s previous visit to Juba, he discussed with the South Sudanese president the issues of cessation of hostilities and release of the top political prisoners belonging to the ruling party Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
The two South Sudanese delegations in Addis Ababa, the one side the government led by President Salva Kiir and the other the dissident SPLM/A faction led by Riek Machar, each sent five members to the direct meetings yesterday.
Neither side made statements to the press yesterday after the consultations, but sources close to the negotiations confirmed that progress has been made while everyone at the talks now will be waiting for the return of mediator and government’s head of the delegation of the government.
Photo: Seyoum Mesfin (China Africa website)