Regional leaders in Juba for talks on South Sudan

By Vision Reporter

Regional leaders are meeting in Juba for an (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) IGAD Summit on South Sudan.

The talks will be attended by Presidents : Uhuru Kenyatta  (Kenya) Ethiopian Premier Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda and the host  Salva Kiir.
 
Uhuru is chairman of the EAC, and the Rapporteur of IGAD.

The conflict in the world's youngest nation erupted last December when  former Vice President Riek Machar  declared armed rebellion against the Juba government

The ten month old South Sudan political crisis that erupted in mid-December, and plunged the country into violent crisis, has taken thousands of lives, and displaced over a million people.

During talks over the weekend, the warring factions agreed to talks mediated by the Tanzanian government to help resolve a nearly yearlong conflict, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement officials said Tuesday.

President Kiir and Machar met in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha at the invitation of President Jakaya Kikwete to address the internal power struggle. Finland-based independent mediating group Crisis Management Initiative is facilitating the talks, which are slated to resume within two weeks, officials said Tuesday.

The  talks were intended to complement the peace negotiations being mediated by the IGAD.