South Sudanese President to visit Ethiopia

By Seleshi Tessema and Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir will travel to Addis Ababa Thursday for a three-day official visit, according to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry.

The two countries will sign a number of cooperation agreements including with regards to security issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tewolde Mulugeta told Anadolu Agency Wednesday.

“The visit will enhance the bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries,” Tewolde said.

Ethiopia hosted talks between the South Sudanese government and the opposition rebels from January 2014 to August 2015.

Tens of thousands of South Sudanese lost their lives and 2 million were displaced in the fighting that followed the fallout between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar in mid-December 2013.

The political settlement signed in August 2015 was stalled when renewed clashes erupted last July between opposing forces backing Kiir and Machar.

Ethiopia hosts about 280,000 South Sudanese refugees, according to data obtained from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Meanwhile, the African Union Commission in a statement on Wednesday expressed 'deep' concern over the deterioration of the security situation in South Sudan in recent weeks.