New round of South Sudan peace talks is delayed

JUBA, South Sudan – Officials say the next round of South Sudan peace talks has been delayed without explanation.

The talks were meant to resume next week in neighbouring Ethiopia, mediated by a regional bloc. The discussions have sought an end to South Sudan’s civil war, now well into its fifth year.

A statement by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission says the regional bloc will announce the new dates for the talks “in due course.’

“The gap between positions of the parties seems to be still quite wide,” says a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn’t authorized to speak to the media. She says tentative dates for the next round of talks are May 2-6.

International frustration is rising with the lack of progress in ending the conflict.