The IGAD mediation team who has returned to Addis Ababa from Juba says President Kiir and the political detainees have agreed on unconditional negotiations about a cessation of hostilities.

The envoys said last night that the detainees had told them their status as detainees should not be an obstacle to reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities.

The Chairperson of the IGAD Mediation Team to South Sudan, Seyoum Mesfin, and IGAD Special Envoys General Lazaro Sumbeiywo and General Mohammed Ahmed El-Dabi alongside the IGAD Executive Secretary, Mahboub Maalim, had been on a two-day mission to Juba.

The IGAD special envoys told journalists in Addis that they had met President Salva Kiir and had had candid talks with the detainees.

The team said the detainees had expressed their support for talks on an unconditional cessation of hostilities.

The envoys noted that there continues to be progress towards political dialogue, and that direct negotiations between the parties are continuing in good spirit in Addis Ababa.