South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar has accepted an invitation to Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Prime Minister to hold talks with President Salva Kiir next week. The acceptance of the invitation by Machar is the first step in restoring confidence in the peace process that will end the civil war in South Sudan.
In a statement issued by Machar spokesman, who is under house arrest in South Africa, had been invited by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to attend the talks on June 20, 2018.
The meeting would be the first time that Kiir and Machar, the former vice president of South Sudan, have met since a peace deal between the government and Machar’s rebel group fell apart in August 2016.
Tens of thousands of people have died in the civil war that broke out in late 2013 when troops loyal to Machar launched a rebellion against the government.
