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Struggles increased in South Sudan today as peacekeeping forces move forward in an effort to cease hostilities between President Salva Kiir and supporters of former Vice President Riek Machar.
According to CNN, the two sides have agreed to nominate delegations to be sent to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, home of the African Union, for the talks that are likely to begin Thursday.
U.S. Envoy Donald Booth met with the current president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir to move the negotiations forward. Booth also spoke with Riek Machar, the leader of rebel forces and former vice president who is denying that he attempted to carry out a government coup. Regional leaders set deadlines for Kiir and Machar to start peace talks.
Fighting persists in Bor, which is only a short drive from Juba, the sountry's capital. Renegade forces loyal to Machar clashed with government troops on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. South Sudan has been in a state of unrest since mid-December.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
