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Friday, January 24, 2014

South Sudan Govt and Rebels Sign Ceasefire Deal Thursday Jan 23,2014

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 -
  • 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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