This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25586456
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
South Sudan ceasefire talks open in Ethiopia | South Sudan ceasefire talks open in Ethiopia |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Talks to end the fighting in South Sudan have opened in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. | |
Negotiators for the government and rebel sides have been meeting mediators but have not yet met face-to-face. | |
Meanwhile, the US has announced a "further drawdown" of its embassy staff in South Sudan because of the conflict. | |
At least 1,000 people have died since fighting erupted between supporters of President Salva Kiir and those of his sacked deputy Riek Machar last month. | |
More than 180,000 people have been displaced, and aid workers say many are living without shelter, clean water and sanitation. | |
What began as a power struggle between President Kiir and Mr Machar has taken on the overtones of an ethnic conflict, correspondents say. | |
Evacuation flight | |
Delegates from both sides began arriving in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday but talks were delayed until the full negotiations teams had arrived. | |
Ethiopia's foreign ministry announced in a statement on Friday that negotiations had started. | |
The BBC's Emmmanuel Igunza in Addis Ababa says the rival negotiating teams are in the same hotel but are currently in talks only with mediators. | |
The mediators are preparing the ground for what they hope will be direct talks later on Friday or into Saturday, he adds. | |
Observers have said the discussions are likely to be complicated, as the two sides will have to agree on a mechanism to monitor a ceasefire. | |
Mr Machar refused to stop fighting ahead of the talks. Mr Kiir has already ruled out any power-sharing arrangement with his rival in the longer term. | |
Meanwhile, the US state department said it had ordered a "further drawdown" of its embassy staff in Juba "because of the deteriorating security situation". | |
But ambassador Susan Page told Reuters: "We are not suspending our operations. We are just minimising our presence." | |
However the state department also said that, from Saturday, it would no longer be providing consular services to US citizens in South Sudan. | |
And it repeated its advice to its citizens to leave the country, announcing a further evacuation flight from Juba "to the nearest safe haven country" on Friday. | |
South Sudan is the world's newest state. It was formed in 2011, gaining independence from Sudan after decades of conflict. | |
The latest trouble has its roots in tensions that go back to the years before independence, when rebels were fighting each other as well as for independence. | |
But what began as a squabble between former fighters turned politicians has taken on an ethnic dimension. | |
Politicians' political bases are often ethnic: President Kiir is from the Dinka community while Mr Machar is a Nuer. | |
Fighting was continuing between the rebel and government troops in Jonglei and Unity state as their negotiating teams arrived in Ethiopia. |