South Sudan's government and rebels are set to thrash out a ceasefire to end weeks of ethnic bloodletting in the world's newest state during New Year's Day peace talks in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
Mediators said both sides agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday, however fighting between government troops and militias loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar have raged on at Bor, the site of an ethnic massacre in 1991.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom, who is chairman of the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) bloc that is mediating the talks, said I'm worried that the continued fighting in Bor might scupper the start of these talks, reports Reuters.
"Hopefully both delegations will arrive tomorrow (Wednesday), start the talks and settle this problem once and for all," Adhanom told Reuters by phone from Addis Ababa.
Regional as well as Western powers have pushed both sides to end the fighting that has killed at least 1,000 people, cut South Sudan's oil output and raised fears of a full-blown civil war in the heart of a fragile region.
After a day of heavy fighting that started at dawn in the dusty town, it was no longer clear who was in control of Bor on Tuesday night which was held by Machar's rebels for a few days at the start of the conflict. Almost 200,000 civilians have been displaced because of the conflict.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan said ethnic-based atrocities was often carried out against civilians by men in uniform and have taken place throughout the newly independent state of South Sudan.
The United Nations warned in a statement saying this can lead to a perpetual cycle of violence that can destroy the fabric of the new nation. About 9,000 civilians are seeking refuge at the UN base in Bor.
The clashes erupted on December 15 with fighting among soldiers in Juba. The violence quickly spread to half of the country's 10 states, dividing the country along the ethnic lines of Machar's Nuer group and President Salva Kiir's Dinkas.
Kiir has accused his long-term political rival Machar, who he sacked in July, for starting the fighting in an effort to seize power. However, Machar has denied the accusation, nevertheless acknowledged leading the militia battling the government. There have been conflicting reports on whether Machar was in full control of the Nuer "White Army" militia fighting in Bor, while he told the BBC they were part of his forces on Tuesday.
The White House pressured both parties to cease hostilities and allow humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians.
White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden in a statement on Tuesday said the United States will deny support and work to apply international pressure to any elements that use force to seize power. "At the same time, we will hold leaders responsible for the conduct of their forces and work to ensure accountability for atrocities and war crimes," she added.
On Tuesday both the government and the rebels said earlier that they were sending teams to start talks in neighbouring Ethiopia, though Machar told the BBC on Tuesday that he was not prepared to lay down weapons.
The U.S. special envoy to South Sudan, Donald Booth, said the commitment to send negotiators was an "important first step" towards a negotiated settlement.
On Monday Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that East African countries had agreed to move in and defeat Machar if he rejected the ceasefire offer, threatening to turn the fighting into a regional conflict. No other countries have yet confirmed any such agreement.
From the government's military headquarters inside Bor, Mayor Nhial Majak Nhial on Tuesday told Reuters the town is still partly in our hands and partly in the hands of the rebels.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said about 70,000 civilians had fled Bor and sought refuge in the town of Awerial in neighbouring Lakes state, with no access to food, clean water or shelter. Others were hiding in swamps.
"Living conditions are verging on the catastrophic," MSF added.
According to United Nations figures, fighting across the country has displaced at least 180,000 people, including 75,000 who are seeking refuge inside UN bases.
Late on Monday the African Union said it was dismayed and disappointed by the bloodletting that came two years after South Sudan won independence from its northern neighbour, Sudan.
The AU's Peace and Security Council said it would take appropriate measures, including targeted sanctions, against all those who incite violence, including along ethnic lines, continue hostilities (and) undermine the envisaged inclusive dialogue.
