MAZUNGUMZO YA KUSITISHA AMANI YAMEANZA HUKO ETHIOPIA

Hospitali ya kijeshi ya Juba wagonjwa Zaidi ya 1000 katika jengo lenye vitanda 130 tu.

 

Mazungumzo ya kusitisha mapigano yameanza katika mji mkuu wa Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.

Taarifa Zaidi:

Negotiators for the government and rebel sides have been meeting mediators but have not yet met face-to-face.

Meanwhile, the US has announced a "further drawdown" of its embassy staff in South Sudan because of the conflict.

At least 1,000 people have died since fighting erupted between supporters of President Salva Kiir and those of his sacked deputy Riek Machar last month.

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More than 180,000 people have been displaced, and aid workers say many are living without shelter, clean water and sanitation.

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What began as a power struggle between President Kiir and Mr Machar has taken on the overtones of an ethnic conflict, correspondents say.

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Evacuation flight

 

Delegates from both sides began arriving in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday but talks were delayed until the full negotiations teams had arrived

 

Ethiopia's foreign ministry announced in a statement on Friday that negotiations had started

 

The BBC's Emmmanuel Igunza in Addis Ababa says the rival negotiating teams are in the same hotel but are currently in talks only with mediators

 

The mediators are preparing the ground for what they hope will be direct talks later on Friday or into Saturday, he adds.

 

Observers have said the discussions are likely to be complicated, as the two sides will have to agree on a mechanism to monitor a ceasefire.

 

Mr Machar refused to stop fighting ahead of the talks. Mr Kiir has already ruled out any power-sharing arrangement with his rival in the longer term.

 

Meanwhile, the US state department said it had ordered a "further drawdown" of its embassy staff in Juba "because of the deteriorating security situation". For more info visit here