South Sudan peace talks drag, UN officials visit massacre sites

Addis Ababa (AFP) - South Sudan government and rebels held peace talks Tuesday in a bid to end a brutal four-month-old civil war, as the UN rights chief visited sites of recent atrocities in the young nation.

The talks restarted on Monday after long delays, but have made little progress, with delegates saying they were still considering a draft agenda after weeks of bickering about what discussions would even focus on.

On Tuesday, South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei, who is leading the government delegation to the talks in neighbouring Ethiopia, said the teams had been given a new draft document on the principles for the talks.

"The envoys gave us a document which contains points that we are seeking to clarify," Makuei told AFP Tuesday.

In South Sudan, the UN's top human rights official Navi Pillay and special envoy for the prevention of genocide Adama Dieng flew to the war-ravaged town of Bor, one of the worst affected areas of the brutal conflict, and which swapped hands several times between rebels and government troops.

Few details were given of the visit, which comes amid tight security. Earlier this month, a pro-government mob killed dozens of civilians in an attack on a UN base in Bor, and scores were killed in the fighting in December and January.

Elsewhere, rebels have been blamed for the killings of hundreds of people in the oil hub of Bentiu.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to visit Ethiopia this week, when he is expected to press the warring parties to end the fighting, as global outrage mount over a wave of atrocities.

Last week the UN Security Council brandished the threat of sanctions against South Sudan government forces, loyal to President Salva Kiir, and rebels behind former vice president Riek Machar.

Pillay reportedly met with Kiir late Monday, and is understood to be scheduled to meet with rebel commanders before leaving the war-torn nation on Wednesday.

The conflict has already left thousands of people dead, over a million displaced, and prompted UN warnings of the risk of famine.

• Politics & Government
• Unrest, Conflicts & War
• South Sudan