South Sudan opposition leader arrives in Khartoum for peace talks

KHARTOUM - South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar on Sunday arrived in Sudan's capital Khartoum to take part in a new round of talks with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Monday.

Machar was received upon arrival at Khartoum airport by Sudanese Foreign Minister Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed.

The foreign minister said Machar's arrival is "an important step that would be enhanced when the South Sudanese president arrives on Monday to enter ... the talks which will include all South Sudanese rivals."

Sudan will host a new round of talks on Monday between South Sudanese President Kiir and the opposition leader Machar.

Ahmed said the talks will review "outstanding issues between the rivals in South Sudan relating to governance and security arrangements."

Another priority of the talks will be the "rehabilitation of South Sudan's economy via engaging in bilateral arrangements between Sudan and South Sudan," the foreign minister added.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will also attend the two-week talks, he noted.

The Sudanese minister also reiterated Khartoum's support for any initiative to end the crisis in South Sudan.

He called for unity in the region, saying "we believe our lack of this unity was the reason behind this prolonged conflict and inability to resolve it in the past."

Last week, Kiir and Machar met in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa for the first time since 2016 at the invitation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed amid international pressures to end the civil war in South Sudan.

South Sudan has been suffering from a civil war since December 2013, following a conflict between President Kiir and his former Vice President Machar, which left tens of thousands of South Sudanese dead and around 4 million others displaced.