South Sudan’s warring parties were set to open peace talks on Wednesday aimed at bringing an end to a nearly three-week-old civil war that has already left thousands dead

South Sudan's warring parties were set to open peace talks on Wednesday aimed at bringing an end to a nearly three-week-old civil war that has already left thousands dead.
  
Government and rebel officials confirmed their negotiating teams were preparing to fly to the Ethiopian capital, and diplomats said they expected negotiations on a possible ceasefire to begin later in the day.
  
"We are expecting them to arrive this afternoon," Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom told AFP. Ethiopian government spokesman Getachew Reda said the talks would focus on "monitoring mechanisms for the ceasefire".
  
Fighting erupted in South Sudan December 15, when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup. Machar has denied this, in turn accusing the president of conducting a violent purge of his opponents.
  
The fighting has spread across the country, with the rebels seizing several areas in the oil-rich north. On Tuesday the rebels also recaptured the town of Bor, capital of Jonglei state and situated just 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Juba, and fighting was reportedly continuing in the area on Wednesday.