Government troops and rebels were engaged in fresh clashes in South Sudan on Wednesday, despite planned peace talks, dpa reported. The violence in the world's youngest nation flared two weeks ago between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar, who was sacked by Kiir in July. One witness described "serious fighting" in and around the city of Bor, in Jonglei state. East African mediators on Tuesday said that Kiir and Machar had agreed to peace talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development said representatives would negotiate a cessation to hostilities, but did not give a timetable. In the South Sudan capital, Juba, shops were open and taxis operated as usual but fewer people were on the streets.
