{UAH} Standard Digital News - Kenya : President Uhuru Kenyatta in South Sudan over crisis

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000100860&story_title=president-kenyatta-in-south-sudan-over-crisis

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Standard Digital News - Kenya : President Uhuru Kenyatta in South Sudan over crisis

By PSCU

NAIROBI, KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in South Sudan Thursday morning for a one day official visit over the political crisis in Africa's new state.

The plane carrying the President and his delegation touched down at Juba International Airport shortly before 10.a.m.

On arrival, President Kenyatta was received by senior South Sudanese Government officials and Kenya's Ambassador Cleland Leshore.

President Kenyatta, who is the current chair of East African Community (EAC), is leading a high powered delegation for talks with the host President Salva Kiir on the ongoing political crisis in the neighboring country at State House, Juba.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn is also attending the talks.

Mediation talks between the parties involved began earlier in the week with a ministerial delegation from the development agency IGAD. Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Amina Mohammed was part of the team.

Mr Kiir is involved in a power struggle with ex-deputy Riek Machar.

The fighting has exposed ethnic divisions in the world's youngest state as the president is an ethnic Dinka, while Mr Machar represents the Nuer tribe.

UN officials believe thousands have been killed since violence erupted on 15 December, when clashes broke out at a meeting of the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

President Kiir accused the former vice-president, who had been sacked in July, of plotting a coup. Mr Machar denies trying to seize power.

Clashes have since spread to half of South Sudan's 10 states.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to UN compounds across the oil-rich country. The UN Security Council has decided to boost the existing UN force (Unmiss) of around 7,000 peacekeepers and police to about 14,000. Additional reporting by BBC 

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Standard Digital News - Kenya : President Uhuru Kenyatta in South Sudan over crisis
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000100860&story_title=president-kenyatta-in-south-sudan-over-crisis