South Sudan peace negotiations resume in Ethiopia
Iran Press TV
Fri Nov 7, 2014 5:18PM GMT
Peace talks between South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and the country's rebel leader, Riek Machar, have resumed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The two sides are meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgen and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in Addis Ababa.
South Sudan warring leaders met for more than 12 hours on Thursday before resuming the talks behind closed doors on Friday, according to Kenyan diplomats.
On Thursday, East African heads of state, having grown impatient with the slow progress made in the peace talks, called on South Sudanese rival leaders to "come to their senses" and end the months-long violence in the country.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgen said, "There appears to be little appetite for peace, while the people of South Sudan continue bearing the full brunt of conflict."
"That the patience of the international community is wearing thin is hopefully not lost on both sides," Desalgen added.
Mediators said on Friday that direct talks between South Sudan rivals have failed to strike a peace deal, adding that discussions would continue over the weekend.
A statement from the Kenyan presidency said a deal "did not appear imminent" and that talks were set to drag on into a third day on Saturday.
Earlier this week, the UN Security Council made fresh warnings of possible sanctions over South Sudan crisis.
South Sudan plunged into violence in December 2013, when fighting erupted between troops loyal to Kiir and defectors led by his former deputy, Machar, around the capital, Juba.
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 Dinka tribe against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.
MP/HSN/SS
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