Southern Sudan peace talks break for month

NAIROBI – Peace talks to end Sudan’s southern civil war are on hold until later this month, after the UN Security Council holds its regular meeting in Nairobi in a move to pressure both sides to sign a deal.

The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the regional body that is chief mediator in the talks, on Monday said both sides agreed to shelve negotiations until Nov. 26 when lower-level negotiators will return.Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) rebel leader John Garang and Sudan’s First Vice President Ali Osman Taha are then due to return on Dec.11 with the aim of finalising a pact to end Africa’s longest-running civil war.The two opened the talks in Nairobi last month and made progress on several issues before leaving it to lower-level negotiators, who worked until Saturday, IGAD said.The UNSecurity Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to hold its regular meeting in Nairobi on Nov.18-19, backing a US proposal to move the session to the Kenyan capital to encourage Sudan and the SPLA to reach a deal.The southern Sudanese civil war has killed an estimated 2 million people, mostly through famine and disease, since 1983, when Khartoum tried to imposed Islamic sharia law on the mainly animist south.- Nampa-Reuters26 when lower-level negotiators will return.Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) rebel leader John Garang and Sudan’s First Vice President Ali Osman Taha are then due to return on Dec.11 with the aim of finalising a pact to end Africa’s longest-running civil war.The two opened the talks in Nairobi last month and made progress on several issues before leaving it to lower-level negotiators, who worked until Saturday, IGAD said.The UNSecurity Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to hold its regular meeting in Nairobi on Nov.18-19, backing a US proposal to move the session to the Kenyan capital to encourage Sudan and the SPLA to reach a deal.The southern Sudanese civil war has killed an estimated 2 million people, mostly through famine and disease, since 1983, when Khartoum tried to imposed Islamic sharia law on the mainly animist south.- Nampa-Reuters