South Sudan's government and rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement after talks in Ethiopia.
Under the deal, signed in a hotel in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the fighting is due to come to an end within 24 hours.
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Analysis
James Copnall
South Sudan analyst
Every extra day of fighting brings more misery, displacement
and death - so this cessation of hostilities agreement will be cheered
all over South Sudan. However it is only the first step along what looks
like a long road.
It is not yet clear exactly how much control Riek Machar has
over all the anti-government forces - and everyone will be watching
anxiously to see if the fighting really stops.
At the negotiating table, attention will now turn to
resolving the broader political issues which triggered this crisis. At
the moment, the gulf between President Salva Kiir and Mr Machar, his
former deputy, is a large one.
Perhaps more importantly, a concerted programme of national
reconciliation and nation-building will be needed. This is unlikely to
work unless it involves a wide spectrum of society - not just the
warring factions, but civil society, traditional leaders, women, youth
and religious groups.
"These two agreements are the
ingredients to create an environment for achieving a total peace in my
country," said Taban Deng, head of the rebel delegation, AFP reports.
However, the South Sudanese government has expressed
scepticism over whether the opposition will be able to control all the
militias involved in fighting, the BBC's Anne Soy reports.
South Sudan rebels grant BBC rare access
The detainees - allies of Mr Machar and prominent political
figures from a faction of the governing SPLM party - were taken into
custody when Mr Kiir first made the allegations of an attempted coup -
which Mr Machar denies.
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“Start Quote
They were not exactly dancing in the streets of South Sudan's capital Juba on Friday morning”
Another key rebel demand was for Ugandan troops fighting alongside the government forces to be withdrawn.
The question of Uganda's role was not raised during the
signing ceremony but members of the rebel delegation said that they
would bring up the issue again during the second round of talks,
journalist Matthew Newsome told the BBC from Addis Ababa.
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