South Sudan’s government and rebels are to open a new round of peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Monday aimed at ending their nearly two-month-old conflict.

South Sudan's government and rebels are to open a new round of peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Monday aimed at ending their nearly two-month-old conflict, negotiators said.

Peace delegates loyals to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and supporters of rebel leader Riek Machar, a former vice president, signed a ceasefire on January 23 although fighting has continued.

The two sides agreed to meet again for a second phase of negotiations on a political agreement designed to address the root causes of the conflict.

"The second round of the South Sudan negotiations focusing on political dialogue and national reconciliation will officially be launched Monday," IGAD, the regional grouping that is helping mediate the talks, said in a statement.

Seven South Sudanese political figures, who were among 11 arrested in Juba when the fighting broke out in mid-December and who were freed at the end of January, will take part in the talks, IGAD said.

The detainees had been a major obstacle to progress in the first round, and the fate of the four is set to come up again in the latest talks.

The conflict has so far left thousands dead since mid-December and has caused close on 900,000 others to flee their homes.