This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar have agreed to form a unity government by November 12th, marking a significant step towards ending the country's long-running civil war.
According to government spokesman Michael Makuei, the two leaders agreed to establish the government on time, with Makuei specifying that 'on the 12th of November' was the target date.
Observers say a political deal between the historical rivals is crucial to moving forward with the 2018 peace deal, which has stalled on key issues of security and internal state boundaries.
The two men, whose enmity plunged the country into war in 2013, agreed to hold further meetings soon, with Kiir expressing optimism that a deal would be reached soon.
Machar, who fled Juba under a hail of gunfire in 2016, is seeking assurances about his personal security before permanently returning to the capital.
Despite the progress made, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that violence remained pervasive in the country, with the organisation continuing to treat a large number of patients with gunshot wounds.
The fighting in South Sudan has left about 380,000 people dead and forced more than four million South Sudanese to flee their homes, with the World Food Programme estimating that over 6.35 million people do not know where their next meal will come from.
