IGAD mediators for South Sudan peace talks have adjourned the phase one of the third round of the negotiations. They will resume after Christmas holidays.

IGAD chief mediator, Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin, says the adjournment was made to give the delegates time to celebrate Christmas with their families, and to allow the mediators to strategize the way forward.

“We are also convinced that we need this adjournment to pause, take stock, strategize, plan and achieve a new breakthrough; how do we bring this IGAD Plus, strengthen this process and see how the intervention of all this together – intervention means reinforcing the IGAD Process that might achieve us probably a new dynamism to reach at peace and reconciliation at the earliest possible time.” He said.

The deputy chief mediator, General Lazarus Sumbeiywo, says the Leaders of the region and other partners will hold what he calls ‘IGAD Plus’ summit before the end of the year or early next year.

He says the summit aims at bringing the regional leaders together to give pressure to the warring parties to end the one-year conflict.

“We think the heads of state of the region in their IGAD Summit Plus could even bring more pressure upon the Parties, one to move forward in the negotiations, two to stop and [war] and give their word not to fight again as they had given on the 7^th of November.” Sumbeiywo said.

“We think there is going to be more pressure upon the leadership of South Sudan not to attempt to subject their people to more agony as they have been subjecting them in the last one year.” He added.

The leader of the SPLM-SPLA in Opposition will also attend the summit.