Ethiopia will arrange face-to-face peace talks between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar within 72 hours, a diplomatic source with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said Friday.
"The two parties have agreed to arrive in Addis Ababa next week; talks will immediately proceed to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire, rapid deployment of peacekeeping forces and delivery of humanitarian aid," the diplomat told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.
The announcement came on the heels of a brief visit to Juba by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the current situation in South Sudan with President Kiir.
Kerry spoke with Kiir in Juba and with Machar by phone, with both agreeing to meet for one-on-one talks, the source said.
"IGAD will continue to facilitate the talks but the Ethiopian leadership will be at the center of the negotiation," according to the diplomat.
He added that the prospects for peace this time around were very good.
"Kerry's visit to Juba has paved the way for the resumption of talks," he said.
Kerry returned to Addis Ababa after a half-day visit to Juba. He is now scheduled to meet Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is expected to arrive in the Ethiopian capital later this evening.
South Sudan has been shaken by violence since last December, when Kiir accused Machar of leading a failed coup attempt against his regime.
The conflict has already claimed more than 10,000 lives, with the U.N. estimating that some one million South Sudanese have been displaced by the violence.
In January, the two sides signed an IGAD-brokered cessation of hostilities agreement in Addis Ababa.
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