South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar will meet today in Khartoum, Sudan, for their second round of talks, according to the Sudanese foreign ministry.
"President Omar al-Bashir will host direct talks between the two leaders of South Sudan in Khartoum on June 25," the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The communique of the 32nd Extra-ordinary Summit of IGAD heads of state also released on Friday indicated President Kiir and Machar will meet for talks in Khartoum under the mediation of Sudanese President, Bashir, and then proceed to a third phase of the face-to-face dialogue in Nairobi, hosted by President Uhuru Kenyatta within two weeks.
They will discuss and resolve the outstanding issues on governance and security arrangements, including measures proposed in the revised Bridging Proposal of the IGAD Council of Ministers, and measures to rehabilitate the South Sudanese economy through bilateral cooperation between South Sudan and Sudan.
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President Bashir will then inform Uhuru the outcome of the negotiations.
"The Assembly decides further that President Uhuru Kenyatta will facilitate a third round of face-to-face discussion between President Salva Kiir and Dr Riek Machar in Nairobi to facilitate the revitalization process and report the outcome and way forward to the upcoming Ordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government," the communique reads in part.
The Council of Ministers will then communicate to IGAD special envoy for South Sudan Ambassador Ismail Wais on issues to finalize in the bridging proposal at the sidelines of the 33rd African Union Summit in Noukacheut, Mauritania, on June 28-29.
This follows talks hosted by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday and Thursday in Addis Ababa.
The Assembly also said Machar, the SPLM-IO leader, is free to leave South Africa to any country of his choice except the IGAD region. He has been under house arrest in South Africa.
He will also be allowed to enter into and exit from Sudan and Kenya for the duration of the peace process.
The talks are, however, facing challenges after the Kiir government said it is not willing to work with Machar.
“President Salva Kiir is not ready in any way to work again with Dr Riek Machar in the next transitional government...We have had enough of him,” South Sudan Information Minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei said on Thursday in Addis Ababa.
Kiir said Machar will not participate in the would-be transitional government until democratic elections are held. SPLM-IO described it as "unrealistic" and accused the government of planning a fresh offensive even before the talks opened.
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