A ceasefire agreement was signed between the two warring faction in South Sudan late on Thursday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Press TV reported.  The two sided agreed to immediately cease military actions and deal with the release of 11 political detainees that have been imprisoned since the start of the conflict in mid-December.

The peace talks led by the East African Bloc IGAD started early last month after what the government of President Salva Kiir accused his former vice president of staging a failed coup in capital Juba. The situation then quickly deteriorated to a near civil war.

“One, implement any agreements that they signed, in good faith and with full commitment.  Two, begin the work towards rehabilitation and support to the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people and refugees.  Three, we must soon continue with political dialogue and work towards an all-inclusive national reconciliation,” said Mesfin.

“What really worries us, in terms of whether the agreement of cessation of hostilities will stick or not, is the capacity of the rebel group.  Given that the bulk of the rebel army is made up of civilians who are not subject to military discipline, orders to stop fighting may not be obeyed.  This will certainly make a mockery of the agreement.  We therefore urge IGAD and the broader international community to pay special attention to this problem,” the government’s lead negotiator Nhial Deng Nhial said.