Government forces and rebels poised for peace talks in South Sudan

South Sudan's government and rebels are set to meet for New Year's Day peace talks to strike a ceasefire, weeks after clashes threatened to throw the world's newest state into a civil war.

Weeks of bloodletting have seen fighting between government troops and fighters loyal to former vice president, Riek Machar.

However, mediators have said that both sides agreed to a ceasefire on Tuesday, but fighting still raged on in the capital, Bor.
"I'm worried that the continued fighting in Bor might scupper the start of these talks," said Ethiopian Foreign Minister and mediator Tedros Adhanom.

He said delegations are set to arrive today to start peace talks.

However, reports have said that prior to sending out a delegation, President Salva Kiir had demanded a cease-fire.

About 9,000 civilians are seeking refuge at the UN base in Bor.

The United Nations meanwhile warned that the situation could spiral into continued violence in the continent's newest country.

"This can lead to a perpetual cycle of violence that can destroy the fabric of the new nation," the UN warned in a statement. 

The fighting has revived memories of the factionalism in the 1990s within the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, the group that fought Sudan's army in the north for two decades.

The violence first erupted on December 15 when fighting broke out among a group of soldiers in the capital, Juba, but quickly spread to more than half the country.