ADDIS ABABA
A second round of peace talks between South Sudan's warring rivals is set to kick off Monday in Addis Ababa, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is mediating the talks, confirmed.
Delegations representing President Salva Kiir and his sacked vice-president, Riek Machar, are scheduled to meet at 5pm at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa, IGAD said in a statement.
This second round of talks is expected to tackle outstanding bones of contention, including rebel demands for the release of political detainees, along with possible means of jumpstarting political dialogue in the country, the statement added.
Following a month-long first round, the warring rivals signed an agreement in January calling for a cessation of hostilities.
Following the agreement, Kiir ordered the release of seven detainees who immediately left South Sudan for Nairobi.
The second round of talks had originally been scheduled to begin on February 7, but had to be rescheduled three days later following last-minute consultations between IGAD envoys and negotiators.
South Sudan has been shaken by violence since mid-December, when Kiir accused Machar of standing behind a failed coup attempt against his regime.
The conflict has already claimed more than 10,000 lives.
The UN, meanwhile, estimates that some 3.7 million people in South Sudan are now "severely food insecure," while more than 820,000 have been displaced by the violence.
By Mohamed Taha Tawakel
englishnews@aa.com.tr
