The next round of the South Sudan peace talks in neighbouring Ethiopia has been adjourned to 17-21 May, the East African bloc said.
The peace talks in Addis Ababa were scheduled to begin on May 3.
The regional bloc's Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said in a Thursday statement there was a need for more time to allow continuation of shuttle diplomacy meetings with the South Sudan parties.
The regional bloc revealed that there still exist wide gaps between the different groups that need to be narrowed.
“It is based on this that the office of the Chairperson of IGAD Council of Ministers decided to postpone the next HLRF Phase II to allow continuation of shuttle diplomacy meetings with the Parties to the South Sudan conflict in order to have a meaningful outcome of the mediation,” IGAD said.
“The Office of the Chairperson of IGAD Council of Ministers met with IGAD Ambassadors in Addis Ababa and after deliberation and assessing the positions of the Parties decided to postpone the convening of Phase II of the High-level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) process for South Sudan,” it added.