South Sudan: Rivals, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar agree to direct negotiations to stop conflict

South Sudan’s president has tentatively agreed to revitalize peace talks that have been stalled for months, taking the necessary step toward creating a new government and halting the conflict in the world’s newest nation.

But it was not immediately clear whether President Salva Kiir’s main rival would participate in the talks.

The negotiations could begin as early as next week. According to South Sudan officials, Kiir has committed very clearly to begin discussions which will be mediated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, for a cease-fire and a transitional government.

Riek Machar, the former vice president-turned-rebel, he has previously indicated he would engage in peace talks.

If the peace talks happen, they would mark a turning point in nearly 6 months of conflict that has largely broken down along ethnic lines between rival Dinka and Nuer groups. The conflict could also lead to famine later this year. Farmers among the nearly 1 million South Sudanese who have fled their homes have had to abandon their crops.

South Sudan peacefully broke away from Sudan in 2011 after a decades-long fight for independence. Relations between the two countries have been strained since the split and both countries have suffered from sporadic violence.

If Kiir and Machar fail to move strongly to the conflict, they could face economic sanctions by the African Union, the United Nations and U.S., or potentially face prosecution by international courts.

The African Union has committed to providing between 2,500 and 5,500 troops, and the mission must first be approved by the U.N. Security Council.

Source: Newswires