South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar and his rival President Salva Kiir will hold talks in Ethiopia on Wednesday.
Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Wednesday’s talks is to negotiate an end to the current civil war.
Riek Machar accepted the invitation from the Ethiopian Prime Minister for further talks with President Kiir in the East African country.
“The meeting on South Sudan tomorrow (Wednesday) will be held under the auspices of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed with the aim of bridging gaps between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar,” the ministry statement said.
A spokesman for Machar said last week that his boss will attend the talks.
Machar’s spokesperson said “The Movement welcomes this invitation. It will go a long way in building confidence in the peace process.”
Riek Machar fled South Sudan after falling out with his former boss, Salva Kiir. He is under house arrest in South Africa.
The meeting will be the first time both leaders will be meeting after signing a peace deal in 2015. The deal never materialized.
Regional bloc efforts
The upcoming talks, a move by the Ethiopian prime minister, has the support of the regional grouping IGAD.
Efforts are meant to mediate and get parties to seal a new deal. The plan is for the country to return to a power sharing agreement and ending the war.
Thousands of people have died in the 2013 civil war after troops loyal to the rebel Machar clashed with government troops.
Source: Africafeeds.com
