IGAD Convenes 2nd Round Of Talks On South Sudan

According to the invitation letter by Special Envoys on the conflict, the negotiations will start on the 10th February in Addis Ababa.

The teams have also dispatched the advance team of the IGAD Joint Technical Committee (JTC) to South Sudan to conduct a pre-deployment assessment.

Afterwards, monitoring and verification teams will be deployed to various sites in South Sudan based on the assessment report of the JTC.

This follows the end of the 24th IGAD Summit last week in Addis Ababa where the Special Envoys pledged to implement decisions agreed upon by the Assembly of IGAD Heads of State and Government.

IGAD is an eight-country trading bloc which includes governments from the Horn of Africa ,Nile Valley, and the African Great Lakes.

During the meetings in Addis Ababa and Nairobi, the envoys outlined their plans and also sought the guidance of the leaders before the second round of the mediation that will focus on political dialogue and national reconciliation.

The reconciliation efforts are aimed at finding a lasting solution to the conflicts that have been facing the country since December last year.

The envoys also came to Nairobi, Kenya where they met President Uhuru Kenyatta to brief him of developments in the negotiations.

The envoys also met with the seven released detainees in Nairobi to seek their opinions on how they wish to see the next phase unfold.

The ex-detainees were appreciative of the IGAD initiative and the practical achievement made so far by the envoys, including the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

The Special Envoys will be shuttling between Addis Ababa, Juba and other capitals to hold discussions with President Salva Kiir  and other officials of the Government of South Sudan as well Dr. Riek Machar.

By Diana Kariuki

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