Direct talks between the rival parties in South Sudan are set to start on Saturday. On Friday the negotiators met the delegations on behalf of President Salva Kiir and his opponent, former vice-president Riek Machar in Addis Ababa.
Mediator and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Tedros Adhanom, considered the meetings as “fruitful”.
Although Riek Machar formally announced that Rebecca Nyangdeng de Mabior, widow of the SPLM founder John Garang, was part of his negotiation team, it seems she is still absent. The Machar-delegation is led by Taban Deng Gai, the former Governor of Unity State. The Kiir delegation is led by Nhial Deng Nhial, a former confidante of the late John Garang.
The first discussions will focus on reaching a cessation of hostilities and monitoring mechanisms for a ceasefire. IGAD said that the commencement of proxy talks between South Sudanese parties “marks a significant step in pursuit of a peaceful resolution of the crisis”. In its communiqué it stated that there had been positive engagements by the negotiating teams of both parties with the mediators Tedros Adhanom, and IGAD Special Envoy Seyoum Mesfin.
File photo: former Vice President Riek Machar (L) and President Salva Kiir (redpepper.co.ug)