South Sudan's leader asks for more time to sign peace deal
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — South Sudan's President Salva Kiir said he needs more time before he will sign a compromise deal with rebel forces led by his former deputy, mediators said Monday.
Kiir said he needs 15 more days before signing the agreement with rebel leader Riek Machar, according to mediators in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Machar signed the accord before Kiir refused.
Some South Sudanese women who participated in the negotiations were seen crying after Kiir said he would not sign. Others banged tables to express their disappointment.
The international community had hoped South Sudan's rival factions would finally reach a political settlement after months of on-off negotiations under the mediation of a regional bloc known as IGAD.
The U.S. urged the warring factions to reach a peace agreement by Aug. 17 or face sanctions.
Mediators had expressed hope that Kiir and Machar would sign a "compromise document," including provisions on how to share power and the composition of a coalition government.
South Sudan has been at war since December 2013 as government troops try to put down a rebellion. Multiple attempts to sign a comprehensive peace agreement have failed despite international pressure.
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