South Sudan’s government and rebels have signed a ceasefire deal that many hopes will put a pause to five weeks of fighting that has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians in the world’s newest country.
The peace deal, signed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday by representatives of President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, the rebel leader and and former South Sudanese vice president, is the first real progress since political friction turned violent on December 15.
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.
Reports said Kiir’s government also agreed to free 11 officials close to Machar who were detained in course of the fighting, although no timeline for their release was given.
The status of the detainees had been a major sticking point in the peace talks.
“These two agreements are the ingredients to create an environment for achieving a total peace in my country,” Taban Deng Gai, the head of Machar’s delegation, said.
Al Jazeera.
South Sudan Signs Truce Deal With Rebels http://t.co/cT07Ca4JVm