UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he welcomed efforts to rekindle peace talks in Ethiopia aimed at resolving the lingering crises in South Sudan.
Representatives from warring sides in South Sudan met this week for talks in Ethiopia with mediators from the region's Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
Violence erupted in South Sudan in December when President Salva Kiir, a member of the Dinka ethnic community, accused former Vice President Riek Machar, a member of the Nuer community, of trying to overthrow the government. Machar was sidelined when Kiir reshuffled his Cabinet in July, but denies waging a coup.
"The secretary-general reiterates the importance of national political dialogue, with the participation of all South Sudanese political and civil society representatives," a Wednesday message issued from his spokesman said.
Herve Ladsous, U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, said this week the road to recovery for South Sudan would be "very long," but the IGAD mediation was the "only diplomatic" option on the table.
Ban, through his spokesman, added he was frustrated with the alleged use of cluster bombs during the ongoing conflict. He said the U.N. Mine Action Service found remnants last week in Jonglei, South Sudan's largest state.
