South Sudan’s Peace Deal May Not Be Worth the Paper It’s Written On :Foreign Policy

Yielding to the threat of U.N. sanctions, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir grudgingly signed a landmark peace deal Wednesday that would cede considerable power to his bitter enemy, rebel leader Riek Machar, as part of a power-sharing arrangement aimed at ending the young country’s 20-month-long civil war.

Or did he?

Before putting his pen to paper, Kiir initialed a 12-page document, separate from the 75-page agreement itself, that included a list of 16 reservations and other grievances with the peace pact and that raised questions about his commitment to the agreement. The grievances included everything from a complaint about the manner in which President Kiir’s full title is described in the peace pact to a demand that reconstruction funds flowing from the deal be placed under the control of the finance minister, not a foreign official, according to a copy of the document obtained by Foreign Policy.

Albino and proud: DR Congo festival promotes persecuted minority

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This image courtesy of the Milliyet Daily shows women carrying their albino children on May 5, 2014, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (AFP Photo)

Albinos gathered Friday in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa for a first-of-its-kind festival to celebrate a minority that suffers rampant persecution in Africa.

"We want to reinforce the visibility of albinos in the upper spheres of society and create role models that allow parents of albino children to not feel ashamed," said Yan Mambo, an organiser of the "Proudly Albino" event.

Ghana’s frustrated youth are vulnerable to the radical call of ISIS: Quartz Africa

Students at University of Ghana (AP Photo/Gabriela Barnuevo)

Over the couple of decades Ghana has won a hard-earned reputation as a stable and settled democracy.

Yet, as news broke last week that a young university graduate from Ghana had left home to join Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS), it was hard not to dread the prospect of a mass exodus or worse, deadly jihadist violence on our shores.

Those concerns were heightened when an investigative report by popular local radio station Starr FM reported that ISIS agents in Ghanaare enticing unemployed youths with promises of cash and a gateway to heaven.

A Dangerous Shift Against Democracy in Tanzania By Freeman Aikaeli Mbowe

Last Saturday, we in Tanzania kicked-off our official campaign season that will culminate in elections at the end of October. Twenty four million Tanzanians are registered to vote to elect a new President, Parliament, and local government Councilors.

Unfortunately the day after, the government kicked-off a more ominous campaign: to stifle the democratic hopes and aspirations of the people of Tanzania by making a mockery of free and fair elections. 

38 girls, young women killed in Swaziland crash

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• Swazi girls sing and dance as they walk to Sawzi king's royal residence for the annual reed dance. AFP photo

At least 38 girls and young women were killed in a crash while travelling to Swaziland's most famous traditional festival, a rights group said on Saturday.

An additional 20 others were injured when the truck they were in collided with another vehicle on Friday, the Swaziland Solidarity Network said in a statement. Members of the Swaziland Defense Force alerted the rights group to the accident and gave the number of deaths, said Lucky Lukhele, the solidarity network's spokesman.

Nigeria's Chibok girls find new start in US

Lily, who escaped from Boko Haram during the kidnapping of almost 300 girls in Nigeria, on a recent tour of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

 Al Jazeera America

Lily had sworn never to go back to school. After being kidnapped from her high school in Chibok, Nigeria, by armed group Boko Haram, the 18-year-old planned to leave education behind and do what her family had been doing for generations — farming.

School was not safe any more.

Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu "I will never be part of those Discrediting the Good work of Fashola as Governor of Lagos"

Former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu has distanced himself from the various negative and unfounded allegations against the person of the firmer governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola. Chief Bola Tinubu the National leader of the APC is if the opinion that those involved are trying to destabilize the APC in Lagos and the achievement of Fashola. Read his statement below:


 “Apprised of their wiles, we in the progressive camp must be wiser still. We must not allow ourselves to be pawns in this cynical strategy. We cannot fall into their obvious snares for that would be embracing defeat when victory has already been won. It is our responsibility to govern as the people want. It would be to our detriment to fall victim to our opponent’s sly instigations by allowing ourselves to be utensils picking each other apart. This brings me to recent developments in the Lagos political scene.

Nigeria marks 500 days since Boko Haram schoolgirl abductions

MISSING GIRLS. A Nigerian woman holds a placard in front of the Nigerian High Commission during a protest against the kidnapping of the Nigerian school girls. 

 Relatives of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram held a youth march and candle-lit vigil on Thursday, August 25, to mark 500 days since the abductions.

Boko Haram fighters stormed the Government Secondary School in the remote town of Chibok in Borno state on April 14 last year, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams.

Fifty-seven escaped but nothing has been heard of the remaining 219 since May last year, when about 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video dressed in Muslim attire and reciting the Koran.

Saving South Sudan From Itself : The Daily Beast

Rebel fighters gather in a village in Upper Nile State February 8, 2014. (Reuters)

South Sudan’s belligerents have signed a peace deal, but it is far from certain that thebrutal 20-month civil war is over.  If the next steps the parties take are simply to restore the status quo that existed before the war’s eruption, the odds are wildly in favor of a return to deadly conflict.  However, if the implementation of the agreement is seen as a chance to restart the construction of a viable state in the world’s newest country, dismantling the violent kleptocracy that it’s become since independence in 2011, then South Sudan has a chance for peace.

Displaced by Conflict in Nigeria : MSF

Abraham Oghobase

Hauwa Mohammed holds her newborn baby at MSF's Maimusari Hospital. Northern Nigeria has one of the world's highest rates of maternal mortality.

Since May 2013, a violent insurgency by Boko Haram has led to widespread displacement and an escalating humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region. According to UNHCR, nearly 1.4 million people have been internally displaced in northeast Nigeria alone, and approximately 170,000 people have fled to neighboring Cameroon (56,000), Chad (14,000), and Niger (100,000). At least 1,300 people have died due to the violence so far this year.

AUTHORITY STEALING The type of corruption that really hampers Nigeria’s economy By Eniola Anuoluwapo Soyemi

Nigeria's recently electied ruling party has long promised to sweep away corruption in Africa's largest economy (REUTERS)

There are at least two important things to consider when examining the developmental trajectory of states when it comes to corruption. The first is that there are different types of corruption. The second is that the international community—at least through its media—looks on some types of corruption less favourably than others. But, this is sometimes misplaced.

When it comes to countries like Nigeria, the media assumes that corruption is the only reason for the country’s failure to break past itslower middle income status. The assumption appears to be that if the billions stolen by corrupt leaders were recovered and invested properly in public services, Nigeria would prosper.

Lebanon’s ‘Garbage Revolution’ : The Daily Beast

Protesters carry plastic bottles during a protest against corruption and against the government's failure to resolve a crisis over rubbish disposal, near the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon August 23, 2015. REUTERS

Never an uneventful place, Lebanon is now in the throes of a “garbage protest” movement calling itself YouStink—the “you” referring to the country’s cabinet and broader political elite. Angered by a garbage collection breakdown that has trash pilling up on the streets, thousands of protesters in Beirut have demanded the prime minister and his cabinet resign. Security forces have reacted violently, injuring some. There are reports of one fatality, after thugs apparently infiltrated a demonstration on Sunday, clearly trying to sabotage the protest. The prime minister has insisted he will not resign, and no major political players have asked him to, probably because they sense they are targets as well.

Sierra Leone releases its last known Ebola patient

5 images

Adama Sankoh, 40, centre, who contracted Ebola after her son died from the disease late last month stands with health officials the moment after she was discharge from Mateneh Ebola treatment center outskirt of Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015

Health authorities in Sierra Leone released the country's last known Ebola patient from a hospital on Monday, a milestone that allows the nation to begin a 42-day countdown to being declared free of the virus that has killed nearly 4,000 people here.

President Ernest Bai Koroma presented a certificate of discharge to Adama Sankoh, 40, who contracted Ebola after her son died from the disease late last month.

Justice for slain Mozambican, Mido Macia, as North Gauteng high court finds 8 Former SAPS members guilty of Murder.

The policemen accused of killing Mozambican taxi driver Mido Macia.
Image by: Times

Judge Bert Bam handed down the judgment in Pretoria on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Macia died in police custody in February 2013 after being dragged behind a police van in Daveyton‚ east of Johannesburg‚ while handcuffed.

He had been arrested for allegedly violating traffic laws.

Watch Out!!!!!!! Nigerian Independence Day Celebration in the City of Gold (JOHANNESBURG) By MAMA YORUBA OF SOUTH AFRICA

On October 1st 2015 the city of Johannesburg, South Africa will be alive with the Nigerian Independence day celebration as the giant of Africa celebrates 55 years of independence.

Venue:  City Hall, 43 Rissik by Cnr Harrison and President, opposite Game stores, JHB.
Special Akara in Nigerian beautiful colors are now available at various prices such as,
250 Rands for 4 yards and 150 Rands for 2yards from Iya Yoruba at 0783112589.
A Day to remember as there will be lots of side attractions that will make you feel at home.

Sustainable farming reaping benefits for women in Cameroon: DW

Improved soil management practices and better farming habits are putting smiles on the faces of women in Bafut, a community located about 400 kilometers (240 miles) from Cameroon's capital Yaounde.

These innovations all fall within the field of "permaculture," a system of sustainable agriculture and design principles aimed at creating a more ecological relationship with the environment.

The innovation was brought to the women by Joshua Kankonko, who grew up in the area. Women say they are experiencing better harvests and putting more money in their pockets as a result. The project has been running for two years.

FOR THE LOVE OF ROCK – HOW A GROUP OF BATSWANAN METALHEADS DEFIED THE NORM TO CREATE THEIR OWN SUB-CULTURE: Ventures Africa

What comes to mind when you are confronted with names like Death Demon Rider, Cannibal, Apothecary Dethrok, Coffinfeeder, Dethguard and Steel Panther? Your first reaction would probably be a mild shock as you try to understand the reason anyone would answer such names!

The Batswanan metal heads are the sort of people you would probably stare at endlessly on a regular day because of how they look. The average African, will definitely have a hard time understanding this ‘unusual’ group of people. In Botswana however, these individuals have built a steady cult following, you could ascribe that to their fearless resolve on expressing themselves through their love for the rock music genre!

President Buhari Replaces Office of the First Lady with Office of The Wife of the President.

The Presidency has renamed the First Lady's Office to “Office of the Wife of the President”, 

saying that an official portfolio was yet to be assigned to Aisha, the wife of 

President Mohmmadu Buhari.

“President Buhari promised that there would be a clear difference between the role played 

by his wife during his tenure and that played by many previous First Ladies. “All that ostentation, ubiquitousness and arrogance we have come to expect from the office are over and done with. Change has come,"Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said.

Read. Propaganda against Former Lagos State Gov, Raji Fashola continues.

Former Lagos state Gov, Babatunde Fashola during his tenure transformed Lagos state and was seen as a model for other governors after 8 years of wastage by the government of Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of our great party, the APC. FOB is unbiased and a strong advocate of the fight against corruption but against those trying to bring down and rubbish the achievements of Fashola. The Ambode government should also present us with the list of projects carried out by Ashiwaju and during Ambode tenure as Accountant General of the state. We are all witness to the visible achievements of Fashola and the questionable wealth of Ambode and Tinubu. We leave history and our readers to judge, while we present Punch latest indictment of the best government in the history of Lagos state after Baba Jakande. Read punch release after cut...

Former Rivers State Gov, Rotimi Amaechi "Why I am fighting against Wike's Probe Commision"

Read the state from Amaechi's office below;

“However what Wike has set out to do is anything but a fair probe. The commission will not be fair to Amaechi because it was set up to indict him. Wike had repeatedly held that Amaechi, the person to be investigated, acted illegally in the disbursement of public funds and that Amaechi ran a corrupt government. Clearly, Wike has prejudged the matter and showed his bias that Amaechi is guilty even before investigations. This means Wike, with his prejudiced, made up mind has taken a position of a guilty verdict even before the outcome is known or established.”

Isis militants in Libya crucify headless corpses and burn down hospital as battle for Sirte intensifies

Isis militants are reported to have beheaded 12 people and crucified their bodies during the fight for the Libyan city of Sirte.

The Libyan government said that there was a "massacre" going on in the city, with the local Isis affiliate pushing to expand the areas it controls.

Photos: World’s most unlivable cities show a life of war, poverty and misery

Lowest ... Damascus, Syria, has dramatically dropped in the world livability rankings due to the ongoing conflict within the nation. Picture: AP Source: AP

MELBOURNE may have topped the most list of most liveable cities yet again, but little has been written on the bottom 10.
Wars, famine, economic crisis and general unrest have contributed to many of the world’s cities becoming undesirable as living spaces — including one Western European city, which has fallen outside basic livability parameters for the first time.

This year, Damascus in Syria has drawn the short straw as the world’s worst city, closely followed by Kiev in Ukraine, Tripoli in Libya, Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea and Dhaka in Bangladesh.

Nigeria's 'Silent Crisis' : International Business Times

While battling Boko Haram insurgents in the north, Nigeria is also fighting an uphill battle against child malnutrition. Nigeria is now home to about 1.7 million "severely acutely malnourished children" under age 5, who account for one-tenth of the global tally and are in dire need of life-saving treatment, the Nigerian government and Unicef said Monday. Nearly 1,000 Nigerian children die from malnutrition-related causes each day, adding up to 361,000 deaths every year.

Photos: Former Nigeria President, Goodluck Jonathan Vacation In Kenya.

Dr Goodluck Jonathan is currently enjoying his vacation with his family in Kenya. Another pic after cut....

Photos: Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola' Book Launch.

Former Lagos state governor, Bababtunde Fashola yesterday  the launched 3 books titled 'The Great Leap', In 'BoLD Print' & 'The Lagos Blow Down' written by Hakeem Bello which detailed Fashola's experience and accomplishments as Governor of the state. The launch took place at the Muson center Lagos. More pics after cut....

Swazi Reed Dance: August 27-September 03,2015. A Display of Africanism.

Swazi Reed Dance

The reed dance is a spectacular annual event attracting multitudes of tourists to the Kingdom of Swaziland. Performing at the reed dance ceremony are thousands of Swazi maidens in their traditional attire. These Swazi girls come from various locations over the country and gather together for the ceremony which lasts for about eight days. The Umhlanga Reed Dance occurs towards the end of the month of August, when the seasons start changing and the reed is matured and ready for harvest. This event presents the maidens with an opportunity to pay honour to the Queen Mother. Only childless, unwed girls are permitted to take part in the event.

Swaziland’s ‘prettiest virgins’ dance topless for King Mswati III, every August, hoping to be his next wife

A common tradition in Swaziland (Swazi) permits the King, Mswati, to choose a new bride every year.

According to reports by Talk Africa, it has been a long time tradition in Swaziland and isn’t the first time this controversial issue is making it into the news.

Heroin and Extremism in Pakistan : Foreign Policy

Terrorism is often thought of as the greatest threat facing Pakistan; however, the biggest danger is something that gets much less attention yet is much more deadly: drugs.

Everyday 700 people die from drug addiction in Pakistan, an ongoing death toll much greater than terrorism, which kills 39 people a day.

And yet terrorism cannot be discounted in this sordid story.

The Governance of ISIS and Much of the Muslim World Are Uncomfortably Similar: The Huffington Post

It must be clearly stated again that ISIS (or Daesh as many of us Muslims like to call it) has bastardized Islam beyond recognition.

Justifying rape as a form of worship, as reported in the New York Times' article "ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape," encapsulates the dehumanization of girls and women as sex objects in the name of Islam.

If you want a simple theological rebuttal for Daesh's violations against humanity, you can read the open letter to Baghdadi from 126 Sunni male scholars and religious leaders published last year on an open platform, inviting others to sign on.

Liberation and silence - South African music in party political storm By Geoff Mapaya

In the past, the primary goal of political activities was to dislodge the common enemy that was apartheid. Music was integral to the liberation effort. Videos after cut...

Queen B not the queen of D'Banj's heart, Is Mzansi's Queen B a side-dish?

TV presenter Bonang Matheba
Image by: Times. 

Bonang Matheba' s beau, Nigerian artist D'Banj, created a Twitter storm when he took to social media to wish his ex-girlfriend, Adama Idimi, a happy birthday, calling her "the queen of his heart".

Italian Foreign Minister, "Libya becoming 'another Somalia"

As the US and its European allies condemned "barbaric" acts by the Islamic State Islamic terrorists in Libya, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said that if peace talks did not succeed in ending the war there within a few weeks, "we will find ourselves with another Somalia two steps from our coasts".

"Time is limited," he said, referring to last week's bloodshed in Sirte, the former bastion of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Photos: Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola Weds Daughter in Grand Style While Salaries of state Workers remain Unpaid for Months.

Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola dancing with his daughter, Shakirat Aregbesola, during her marriage at the Gradeur Evenet Center Ikeja, Lagos. in Lagos. HML. More pics after cut..

South Africa Tribalism Is a Threat to Democracy By Laura Oneale

South Africa became a democratic country in 1994, but the threat of tribalism is no longer an old village myth. Tribalism is big. Kings are born and rule over entire villages, instituting laws and procedures and ignoring issues of national interest. People need to abandon the village mentality and move away from tribe rule. Otherwise, the political formation of South Africa will remain stagnant.

How one woman saved 16,000 refugees with her phone

One day in 2010, the woman with the red fingernails received the first call. She was standing in her kitchen when her white cellphone rang. The display showed “00888” — the first five digits of an unknown number.When the woman answered, she was assaulted by shrieks. Four hundred and twenty-five Eritreans were drifting in the Mediterranean. The ship was leaking; water was creeping up the walls.

One of the passengers had the telephone number of Meron Estefanos and entered the 13 digits into a satellite cellphone, the one that people smugglers give refugees for emergencies. Estefanos’ telephone began to ring.It was a nightmare, she recalls. “This panic, the people screaming into the receiver: ‘We’re dying, our life is in your hands. Do something!’”

Church v state: a worrying dynamic for Burundi By Jessica Hatcher

Photo: IRIN

Prayers for the dead: a priest gives a sermon for people killed during political protests in June.

The growing schism between the Catholic Church and Burundi’s political leadership is a particularly worrisome aspect of the fallout from President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term, which has already seen dozens killed in protests and 175,000 people, mostly women and children, flee the country since April.

South Sudan: Obstacles to a lasting peace By James Copnall

Peace proposals call for South Sudanese troops, seen here marching in Juba, to withdraw from the capital

A year-and-a-half of peace processes have not stopped South Sudan's collapse.

Soldiers slaughter young boys, women are raped and millions have fled as ceasefires are ignored and the fighting continues.

An expanded mediation team from the regional body Igad and several other interested nations, known as Igad Plus, insists a permanent peace deal must be signed by 17 August.

But with time running out, the distance between the two sides appears to be wide. "The gap is too big," one rebel official told me.

Women and the Boko Haram Insurgency By Claire Wilmot

A girl stands in front of soldiers from Niger and Chad in the recently retaken town of Damasak, Nigeria, March 20, 2015. Soldiers from Niger and Chad who liberated the Nigerian town of Damasak from Boko Haram militants have discovered the bodies of at least 70 people, many with their throats slit, scattered under a bridge, a Reuters witness said. (Courtesy Reuters)

In June 2014, Nigeria experienced its first attack by a female suicide bomber. Since then, Boko Haram has increasingly used girls and women as operatives in suicide attacks on soft targets. According to the Nigeria Security Tracker, Female suicide bombers have been responsible for over 200 deaths since May 2015, nearly half of all casualties from Boko Haram-attributed suicide bombings during this period.

Photographer Kiripi Katembo, Master of Reflection, Dies at 36

“Subir, Un regard” (2011), Lightjet Print, 60 x 90 cm (Collection of the artist© Kiripi Katembo / Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain press service)

The Congolese photographer, painter, and film producer Kiripi Katembo (aka Kiripi Katembo Siku) died last week at age 36 of cerebral malaria in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. More pics after cut.  

Read: What Buhari Told Jonathan During There Secret Meeting Will Shock You

It was learnt that the meeting was facilitated by former head of state Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, The Nation reports.

Abubakar headed the 2015 elections peace committee that paved way for peace before, during and after the 2015 general elections.

The meeting was coming on the heels of complaints by Jonathan that Buhari is not sticking to the peace accord they signed prior to March 28, 2015 presidential election.

Why ex-President Jonathan should be thrown under the bus : The Sun

WHEN Ebele Jonathan happened on the presi­dency, there was jubilation all over the known world. This was a guy, a little guy that not even the devil gave a chance. He had the world all up and against him. He was not just a minority man, he was not even in the queue of the great men of the epoch, not even amongst his own minority peoples. But chance or fate conspired to throw him up, granting him perfunctory jobs, however, mighty the titles – deputy this, deputy that and deputy everything else. However, in the end Okonkwo threw the cat and Jonathan a toeless, even sole-less kid washed up the presi­dent of Nigeria. It is a Nigeria whose oriki or praise name, false or forged, is: Africa’s great­est country. Ahiazuwa.

Defector reveals life in North Korea, 'the most dangerous place to be a Christian'

Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is regarded as a ‘god’ by the North Korean people, greets Korean People's Army pilots during a visit to the summit of Mt. Paektu on April 18, 2015, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency.

Christians in North Korea are forced to worship God in secret as authorities tell people there is no God and order them to praise the state leader instead, a woman who managed to escape the Communist country revealed to CBN News last week.

Photos:Ekiti State Governor Buys Soup Ingredients At Elegberun Market.

Governor Fayose was at the Elegberun Market in Ikere Ekiti to inspect ongoing projects in the market and took time out to buy soup ingredients.  More pics after cut

Guinea-Bissau's President Vaz sacks his government

Guinea-Bisseau's president said a simple reshuffle would not be sufficient to solve the rift with the prime minister

Guinea-Bissau's President Jose Mario Vaz has dismissed the government following a rift with Prime Minister Domingos Pereira.

The two men are said to have disagreed on a number of issues including the use of aid money and the return to Guinea-Bissau of a former army chief of staff.

The West African state returned to civilian rule in June last year.

President Buhari "Prosecution of Those that Looted the Treasury Would start in a couple of Weeks"

President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday in Abuja that the prosecution of persons who 

have looted the treasury would commence soon when he was visited by Abdulsalam

Abubakar and others. 

“Nigeria has to break this vicious cycle before we can make progress,” the President said, 

adding that his administration was diligently getting facts and figures pertaining to the 

nation’s stolen funds, before proceeding to the prosecution of identified culprits.

Burundi: Calm Days, Violent Nights.

Photo Credit- AFP
By day, the streets of Burundi's capital Bujumbura are filled with the sounds of market traders and the honking horns of traffic in the lakeside city.

By night, they echo instead to the rattle of gunfire as the violence unleashed by President Pierre Nkurunziza's successful bid for a third term in office rumbles on.

Women’s day in South Africa: Celebrating women in tech by Katleho Motloung

Only 20% of the South African information and communications technology (ICT) workforce are women, according to the Institute of Information Technology Professionals; the predominance of men in this  industry is not limited to South Africa. In observance of Women’s Day, we want to highlight some leading women in tech.
While efforts continue to bring more women into the tech industry, there are a few who have already reached the top ranks in this male-dominated business.
Here are some leading lights within the industry whose accomplishments we’d like to celebrate on this Women’s Day.

Debbie Tam, Mustek Limited

Debbie Tam is the CEO of Mustek Limited, one of the largest computer- and peripheral-equipment manufacturers in South Africa.
Mustek works with many well-known computing products, including Mecer, Samsung, Lenovo and Toshiba, among other brands, across its various ICT divisions.

South Sudan Peace Talks Offer Little Hope: International Business Times

The world’s youngest nation faces an all but impossible task -- to end a 19-month-long civil conflict in one week. Amid a violent power-struggle and revived ethnic tensions, South Sudan’s warring sides have come under immense international pressure to reach a peace deal by August 17 or suffer sanctions. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar resumed negotiations in the Ethiopian capital Addis Adaba this week, after months of fighting since the last round of talks collapsed in March.