South Sudan progressing towards transitional government as Kiir and Machar sign ceasefire deal

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel commander Riek Machar signed another ceasefire agreement on Monday, edging them closer to a final deal to end a 15-month conflict.

African diplomatic sources said the agreement, sets out how both leaders would share power once they formed an interim government. It is proposed Kiir would remain president while Machar would become vice president.

Both sides also agreed to abide by a ceasefire deal signed in January 2013 but has been violated.

After signing the latest agreement, Machar said the two sides would hold more discussions on the functions of the provisional government. Few other details were revealed after frantic late-night talks. Regional diplomats had warned the conflicting sides that failure to come up with a new deal could see sanctions imposed on them.

The conflict in South Sudan erupted in December 2013. About 1.5 million people have been driven from their homes.

Seyoum Mesfin, chief mediator of the East African IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) bloc, said the two leaders had agreed to resume talks on February 20.

“Those talks would be final and that would lead them into concluding a comprehensive agreement to end the crisis in South Sudan,” Mesfin told reporters minutes before Kiir and Machar signed the latest peace deal.

The two sides need a transitional government in place by July, when Kiir’s presidential term runs out.

Source: Reuters