(Addis Ababa) – Formal peace talks between South Sudan’s government and rebels are set to open on Monday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, delegates and diplomats said. The talks, brokered by the East African regional bloc IGAD and aimed at ending three weeks of unrest in South Sudan, are set to start at 3:00pm (1200 GMT), Ethiopian government spokesman Getachew Reda said.
Delegates from both sides confirmed the schedule had been fixed after days of wrangling over protocol and other disagreements.
The conflict in South Sudan erupted on December 15, pitting army units loyal to President Salva Kiir against a loose alliance of ethnic militia forces and mutinous army commanders nominally headed by Riek Machar, a former vice president who was sacked last July.
