Warring South Sudan rivals meet in Tanzania

Arusha (Tanzania) (AFP) - Warring South Sudanese factions were meeting Monday in Tanzania in the latest bid to end a 10-month civil war in which thousands of people have been killed, a presidential aide said.

Peace talks to find a lasting solution to the conflict that broke out on December 15 between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and his former vice president Riek Machar have been repeatedly interrupted.

But delegations have "had successful meetings so far", Awan Riak, Minister in the Office of the President told reporters before Kiir flew to Arusha to take part in the talks.

Kiir hopes to meet face-to-face with Machar, Riak said, without giving further details or a timeframe.

It would be the first time the rivals meet since signing a ceasefire in August in Ethiopia, which like three previous agreements swiftly collapsed.

The talks in the northern Tanzanian tourist town of Arusha follow an invitation from President Jakaya Kikwete, who has also met with both leaders.

"We are hopeful that something will come out from Arusha," South Sudanese foreign ministry spokesman Mawien Makol said.

No major deal is expected, but the two leaders have not even met for almost two months.

Rebel spokesman Mabior Garang told AFP in Arusha his side was expecting to sign an agreement on the "principal of unity" of the now divided political party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Political and military leaders have repeatedly broken promises made under intense international pressure, including visits to South Sudan by UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Thousands of people have been killed and almost two million have fled fighting between government troops, mutinous soldiers and ragtag militia forces divided along tribal lines.

Almost 100,000 people are sheltering in squalid UN peacekeeping bases fearing they will be killed if they leave.

Earlier this month, a group of 19 major aid agencies warned that while massive food drops had helped avert famine for now, the threat remained, and the risk grew greater the longer the war continues and the weaker the people suffering become.

• Politics & Government
• Unrest, Conflicts & War
• South Sudan
• Tanzania
• Arusha
• Riek Machar