Regional states urge dialogue to ease South Sudan tensions

IGAD calls emergency meeting of its foreign ministers, saying situation in South Sudan requires ‘urgent attention’.

Regional African trade body IGAD has called on the two rival military factions of Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in South Sudan to open the path for dialogue after deadly fighting at the weekend. Clashes erupted on Saturday after South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar’s rivals declared this week they had deposed him as the head of the party and its military forces. The group of military generals who declared Machar had been ousted as head included former chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual, General Johnson Olony of Sector One Command and General Thomas Mabor Dhoal of Sector Three Command.