S. Sudan's major rebel group delegation arrives in Juba

A delegation of South Sudan's major rebel group arrived in the capital Juba on Monday to negotiaite with President Salva Kiir's government on implementation of a peace deal signed by the two sides.

According to local South Sudanese media, the delegation left the rebel-held east of South Sudan to Ethiopia before flying to Juba, noting that the delegation did not include the rebel leader Riek Machar.

In the meantime, the UN radio reported South Sudan's Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek to have said that "the two sides are going to be peace partners instead of war partners."

He added that "the people of South Sudan will realise that the peace has come," noting that "it is a good beginning for South Sudan."

The rebel delegation was supposed to arrive in Juba four weeks ago to begin implementation of the deal and commence the transitional period stipulated in the deal, but the continued clashes between them prevented that.

Last August the two South Sudanese warring parties signed a peace deal under the patronage of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development in Africa (IGAD) to end the violence in the new-born state.

The deal stipulated beginning of a transitional period and withdrawal of all military forces within a 25km radius of the capital city Juba within 90 days since the signing of the agreement.

South Sudan was plunged into violence in December 2013 when fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Kiir and defectors led by his former deputy Machar.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out war, with the violence taking on an ethnic dimension.

The clashes have killed thousands of South Sudanese and forced around 1.9 million to flee their homes. Endit