The Ethiopian government is calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops in South Sudan for the peace talks to succeed.

The country’s Prime Minister, who is also the chairperson of IGAD countries, said the conflict in South Sudan needs a political solution.

Haile Desalegn told journalists in Addis Ababa that the presence of Ugandan forces in South Sudan is one of the three factors hampering negotiations in Addis.

“This is an internal South Sudanese issue and it is political by nature,” said PM Desalegn.“Therefore, it should be settled politically.”

“So, you don’t need Ethiopian forces, Ugandan forces or any other country’s forces there. You can’t solve this problem by force.”

The Head of the IGAD mediation team, Ambassador SeyoumMesfin, said all IGAD countries should support the peace negotiations in Ethiopia.

“We don’t want South Sudan to be a place where external actors express that they have national interest one way or the other by intervening in the conflict in South Sudan. That would be a nightmare, a nightmare for the people of South Sudan and a nightmare for the region,” he said.

This week, the spokesperson of the Ugandan forces said the UPDF will remain in South Sudan until stability returns.

Paddy Ankunda said the withdrawal of their forces from South Sudan was ruled out.