South Sudan’s peace talks fail to finalize agreement

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - Another round of talks aiming to bring peace in South Sudan failed to finalize an agreement among warring sides on Friday.

The second phase of the High-level Revitalization Forum under the auspices of the 8-nation East Africa security bloc, IGAD, was held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Feb. 5-16.

Security arrangement and responsibility sharing have been the main agenda items under discussion, said Hirut Zemene, deputy chair of IGAD Council of Ministers.

According to Zemene, the South Sudanese stakeholders have been engaged in discussion of government structures and responsibility sharing as well as security arrangement.

“Recess will be short in order to keep the momentum,” she said referring to what she described as much progress achieved during negotiations.

“Much remains to be done,” she said, reminding the warring parties to finalize “pending issues” at the negotiation table.

She said that the international community is ever determined to take punitive measures against spoilers of peace.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Riek Machar's spokesman Mabior Garang told Anadolu Agency that Machar is being “illegally detained in South Africa.”

He said Machar’s detention has been negatively affecting the whole peace process.

No specific date has been issued for next meeting of the second phase of the revitalization process.

South Sudan has been mired in conflict between the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels led by Machar since December 2013.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced almost four million people from their homes, including over a million refugees who have fled to the neighboring countries.

International and regional leaders have called for an end to the conflict in the East African nation but several truces have been broken by both sides.