South Sudan talks 'productive'

21 December 2013 Last updated at 02:30

African mediators trying to avert civil war in South Sudan say they have held "productive" talks with President Salva Kiir.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom, who led the delegation, said consultations were continuing, but did not give details.

Clashes began a week ago when President Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of a failed coup.

Hundreds of people have already died in fighting across the country.

Although Mr Kiir has said he is ready for dialogue, Mr Machar told French radio he was only ready to "negotiate his [Salva Kiir's] departure from power".

On Friday, President Kiir met foreign ministers from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda who had travelled to the capital Juba to mediate in the crisis.

He told them he agreed to "unconditional dialogue" to stop the violence.

"We had a very productive meeting with his Excellency President Salva Kiir and we will continue consultations," Mr Adhanom told reporters before returning to the talks.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was sending a special envoy, Donald Booth, to the country.

"Now is the time for South Sudan's leaders to rein in armed groups under their control, immediately cease attacks on civilians, and end the chain of retributive violence between different ethnic and political groups," said Mr Kerry.

Evacuation

As the violence escalated, Ugandan troops flew to Juba on Friday to help evacuate their citizens.

Military sources quoted by Reuters said they would also help secure the capital, which is about 75km (50 miles) from Uganda's border.

A number of other countries are also evacuating their nationals from South Sudan.

President Kiir, a member of the majority Dinka ethnic group, sacked Mr Machar, who is from the Nuer community, in July.

He said that last Sunday night uniformed personnel opened fire at a meeting of the governing party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Violence then broke out in Juba and has since spread across the country, pitting gangs of Nuer and Dinka against each other and sparking fears of a civil war.

The whereabouts of Mr Machar, who has denied trying to stage a coup, remain unknown.

Assault fears

Thousands of civilians have flocked to UN compounds seeking shelter from the unrest.

The UN on Friday condemned an attack on its compound in Akobo, Jonglei state, a day earlier in which two Indian peacekeepers and at least 11 civilians were killed.

The UN mission in South Sudan, Unmiss, said some 2,000 armed youths believed to be Nuer surrounded the base and opened fire "in the direction of Sudanese civilians of the Dinka ethnic group who had sought refuge in the compound".

Unmiss said all its personnel - along with civilians and members of non-governmental organisations - had now been airlifted from the base.

France's UN ambassador Gerard Araud said there were fears of another assault as armed youths gathered near the UN compound in the town of Bor, in Jonglei, on Friday.

Jonglei state has seen some of the worst violence since South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011, with hundreds killed in periodic clashes between rival heavily-armed ethnic militias sparked by cattle-rustling.

Following decades of conflict, weapons are widely available across much of South Sudan.

South Sudan's government insists the clashes are over power and politics, not between ethnic groups.

President Kiir said the majority of those arrested after Sunday's alleged coup attempt were Dinka, not Nuer.

The oil-rich country has struggled to achieve a stable government since becoming independent.