Accessibility links

Breaking News

S. Sudan Peace Deal Calls for New Government


South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (front L) and rebel commander Riek Machar exchange documents after signing a cease-fire agreement during the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Summit, Feb. 1, 2015.
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (front L) and rebel commander Riek Machar exchange documents after signing a cease-fire agreement during the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Summit, Feb. 1, 2015.

An agreement signed by South Sudan's warring parties on Sunday calls for a final peace deal by early March and creation of a transitional national government by July.

Text of the deal was released Monday, a day after South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, and rebel commander Riek Machar signed it in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The text says government and rebel forces recommit to a cessation of hostilities deal signed January 23, 2014. It says negotiations will resume later this month to work out the final peace deal, due by March 5.

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

The parties agree to share power in the new government that would be established no later than July 9.

The government and rebels have previously signed at least three peace deals which were quickly broken.

More than a year of fighting in South Sudan has left more than 10,000 people dead and driven about 1.5 million from their homes.

The East African bloc IGAD has been mediating peace talks in Ethiopia. IGAD mediator Seyoum Mesfin said anyone who breaks this latest agreement will be reported to the United Nations Security Council and the African Union.

Both organizations have threatened sanctions against those undermining peace in South Sudan, the world's newest country.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG