South Sudan's Govt and
rebels signed a ceasefire agreement, pledging to halt fighting within 24
hours and end five weeks of bitter conflict that has left thousands
dead.
The agreement
was signed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa by -
South Sudan's government delegation leader Nhial Deng Nhial and the rebel delegation leader Taban Deng Gai pose for photographs as they shake hands after signing a ceasefire agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Thursday Jan. 23, 2014
Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation, said he hoped the deal would "pave the way for a serious national political dialogue aiming at reaching a lasting peace in South Sudan".
South Sudan Govt negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial said the talks, which began in Addis Ababa three weeks ago, were "not easy". "We hope to be able to make haste towards an agreement that will end bloodshed,"
- representatives of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and
- rebel delegates loyal to ousted Vice President Riek Machar
South Sudanese government representatives, right, and rebel representatives, left, in Addis Ababa
South Sudan's government delegation leader Nhial Deng Nhial and the rebel delegation leader Taban Deng Gai pose for photographs as they shake hands after signing a ceasefire agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Thursday Jan. 23, 2014
Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation, said he hoped the deal would "pave the way for a serious national political dialogue aiming at reaching a lasting peace in South Sudan".
South Sudan Govt negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial said the talks, which began in Addis Ababa three weeks ago, were "not easy". "We hope to be able to make haste towards an agreement that will end bloodshed,"
Mediators from the East African
regional bloc IGAD, which has been brokering the peace talks, said the
deal will put in place a verification and monitoring mechanism for the
truce and allow unrestricted access to aid workers
South
Sudan's Govt also agreed to free 11 officials close to Vice President Riek Machar who
were detained after fighting between rival army units broke out on
December 15,2013 although no timeline for their release was given.
Note
South Sudan won its independence from Sudan in July 2011 after decades of conflict between the northern and southern Sudanese
The conflict has turned along ethnic faultlines, pitting Vice President Riek Machar's Nuer against President Salva Kiir's Dinka people
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir
Vice President Riek Machar
Thousands of people have been killed and more
than half a million people have fled their homes, prompting the regional
grouping of nations, IGAD, to initiate peace talks
More than 70,000
people have sought refuge at U.N. bases around the country
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