The deadline for South Sudan’s leaders to reach a peace deal or face international sanctions ticked down Monday, as a spokesman for the mediation team said a compromise deal would likely be signed.
After 20 months of fighting between factions of what critics call the young country’s kleptocratic elite, international patience has worn thin, yet there was little optimism heading into the final round of talks before the Monday deadline to reach a deal.
Both South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, and his rival, rebel leader Riek Machar, have downplayed hopes of a peace deal in recent days.