South Sudan's negotiators meet in Ethiopia

Negotiators from the government of South Sudan and rebels began indirect talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Friday in yet another bid iron out differences between the two parties. Ethiopian foreign ministry, in a statement available here, said the negotiations began with separate meetings between the mediators and the delegations of the two sides. The mediators of the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are committed to offering all backing to bring about success of negotiations, it added. Direct negotiations are due to start tomorrow following the two parties'a approval of the agenda. Media in Khartoum quoted sources close to negotiators as saying negotiations would start with the details of the ceasefire and how to monitor it. Meanwhile, South Sudanese government forces and rebels of former Vice-President Riek Machar were battling on the ground, with each side is attempting to gain more ground. The fighting in South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan two years ago, erupted since mid-December killing more than 1,000 people and displaced 200,000 others.