JUBA
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn met South Sudan's President Salva Kiir in the capital Juba in an attempt to end nearly two weeks of fighting in the world's newest state.
"South Sudan is a young nation that should be spared unnecessary distractions in its development agenda. Take wisdom and stop the loss of innocent lives," Kenyatta said in a statement.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom called the talks "very constructive and very candid". It was not clear whether the delegation also met the rebel leader, former vice president Riek Machar, who was sacked by Kiir in July.
Violence erupted in Juba on December 15 and has quickly spread, dividing the landlocked country of 10.8 million along ethnic lines between the Nuer - Machar's people - and the Dinka, to whom Kiir belongs. The head of the U.N. mission in Sudan said well over 1,000 people had been killed.
Rebels and government troops clashed in Malakal, capital of the major oil-producing state, Upper Nile, for the third day in a row, army spokesman Philip Aguer said.
"They control half of the town and government troops control the other half. They will be defeated soon," Aguer said by telephone. No comment was available from the rebel side.
Petroleum Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau said the rebels had captured oil wells in Unity state, where production was shut down earlier this week due to fighting.
ETHNIC DIVIDE
"Some oil wells are in the hands of rebel soldiers loyal to former vice president Riek Machar and we fear they may cause damage to the facilities and the environment," Dau told Reuters.
Dau said oil output, which fell by nearly a fifth to 200,000 barrels per day when the Unity state oil fields shut down, had not been affected by clashes in Malakal. Most of South Sudan's oil is pumped in the Upper Nile region.
The United Nations said on Thursday about 58,000 civilians have sought refuge in its compounds across South Sudan.
Kiir and rebel leader Machar say their disagreement is political. But many of the civilians seeking safety in the U.N. bases say ethnic bloodletting has left them paralysed with fear.
Lina Yohanis, a 22-year-old mother of two, said her sister was killed by soldiers who targeted her because she was a Nuer. "They poured fuel on her and burned her," Yohanis told Reuters in a sprawling U.N. compound in Juba.
With tears rolling down her cheeks, she added: "The politics of South Sudan are becoming politics of tribalism."
Earlier in the week, a United Nations human rights body said it had found a mass grave in Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, containing what were believed to be bodies of Dinka soldiers.
CHINA CONCERNED
The U.N. said it hoped within the next 48 hours to begin receiving critical reinforcements of military hardware and personnel for its overstretched peacekeeping mission.
China, which has significant oil interests in South Sudan, said it would send its special envoy for Africa to help bring about talks between Kiir and Machar.
"China is highly concerned about the evolving situation in South Sudan," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Western powers and east African states, keen to prevent more chaos in a fragile region, have not been able to get Kiir to meet Machar, whose whereabouts are unknown. He told Reuters on Monday he was "in the bush".
The U.N. estimates 92,500 people have been displaced during the 12 days of fighting that has sparked the biggest crisis in the country since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Adhanom said regional leaders would meet in Nairobi on Friday to follow up on issues raised during the three-hour talks with Kiir and his cabinet in Juba.
Kenyan President Kenyatta said the conflict was not ethnic-based and the media should stop creating "negative impressions". He also urged Machar and Kiir to meet for talks.
(Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Newer articles:
- south_sudan_army_trucks-reuters.JPG - 27/12/2013 07:51
- South Sudan: Regional Leaders Mediate in Juba - 27/12/2013 04:29
- South Sudan Embassy in Washington says Juba is ready for negotiations - 27/12/2013 03:51
- South Sudan rebels seize oil wells, mediators urge talks - 26/12/2013 20:52
- South Sudan rebels seize oil wells - 26/12/2013 19:14
Older news items
- South Sudan Rebels Say Ready for Talks to End Unrest - 26/12/2013 18:51
- South Sudan Talks Called Productive But Violence Persists - 26/12/2013 17:36
- South Sudan violence continues as talks start - 26/12/2013 17:09
- South Sudan: South Sudan's Independence Was Ill-Prepared - 26/12/2013 16:13
- African leaders seek peace talks in South Sudan - 26/12/2013 14:48
Latest news items (all categories):
- رسالة مفتوحة إلى مدام لميس الحديدى - 01/11/2024 17:50
- Policy actions to strengthen Public Finance Management in South Sudan - 01/11/2024 15:30
- WFP Calls for Cash to Frontload South Sudan Operations Amid Warnings of Rising Hunger - 01/11/2024 15:26
- DTM South Sudan: Biometric Registration and Cash Assistance - Raja Town (October 2024) - 01/11/2024 15:23
- Urgent Call for Government Regulation of Land in the Capital Juba and other areas in South Sudan to Prevent Community Hatred - 01/11/2024 14:52
Random articles (all categories):
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 54008 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22154 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21270 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18705 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 17336 times