Fresh round of South Sudan talks delayed
Iran Press TV
Wed Jun 4, 2014 2:43PM GMT
A new round of talks aimed at bringing an end to the months-long deadly crisis in South Sudan has been delayed once again.
Mediators said on Wednesday that negotiations scheduled to be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, had been delayed, without offering further details regarding the postponement.
Officials said there would be a three-day 'multi-party symposium' involving the government, the rebels and religious and civil society groups on June 5, at the African Union headquarters.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is brokering the talks, said in a statement that the meeting would focus on an 'inclusive phase of the mediation process based on a consensual, round table, multi-party dialogue.'
The talks between the two sides are aimed at furthering a cease-fire signed by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former vice president and rebel leader Riek Machar, last month.
On May 9, the two signed the agreement in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to end nearly five months of bloodshed in the world's youngest nation.
The political crisis in South Sudan began after Kiir accused Machar of attempting a coup in December 2013.
The conflict soon turned into an all-out war between the army and defectors, with the violence taking on an ethnic dimension that pitted the president's tribe, Dinka, against Machar's Nuer.
The country has continued to witness violence despite the signing of two cease-fire agreements this year.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than one million displaced in the war.
Over 78,000 civilians have also been forced to live in eight UN bases in the country, while many others have fled to neighboring states, particularly Uganda and Ethiopia.
SZH/AB
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
