Talks between the South Sudan government and its political rivals have failed.
Representatives of Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar have been negotiating in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa since August 6. The U.S. had urged the warring factions to reach a peace agreement by August 17 or face sanctions.
Haile Michael, a spokesman for a regional bloc mediating the talks, had said Kiir and Machar will sign what he called a “compromise document” on Monday.
Previous attempts at a negotiated settlement have failed. At stake were issues such as how to share power and the composition of a transitional government of national unity.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had earlier posted on Twitter images of the two men taking part in IGAD-led talks late Sunday ahead of the Monday deadline.
https://twitter.com/UKenyatta/status/632979828032020480
Kenyatta took part in the talks along with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Ugandan President Yoweri Musevenei and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
Kiir’s presence in Addis Ababa came less than two days after he canceled the planned trip over concerns that rebel factions slated to participate in Monday’s talks had split apart and would not present a united front. He later reversed himself, voicing fear that his absence from the talks would be seen as opposition to the peace process.
The makeup of the rebel delegation was not clear late Sunday, less than a week after two rebel generals said they were no longer allied with Kiir’s chief rival, rebel leader Machar.
Machar said both sides were under intense international pressure to sign an accord.
