South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar will on Monday hold talks in Khartoum, official said.

Sudanese Foreign minister Aldirdiri Mohammed Ahmed confirmed in Khartoum the hosting of the two rivals.

“In it’s last meeting in Addis Ababa, Igad decided to hold this meeting in Khartoum and also decided that Dr Machar can stay wherever he wants, except in the countries neighbouring South Sudan," he stated.

The minister disclosed that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development taskforce for the South Sudan peace negotiations would attend the meeting.

Peace stakeholders

The Troika countries; the US, the UK and Norway, would also participate in the Khartoum talks, Mr Ahmed said.

Other South Sudan political parties and peace stakeholders were also expected to take part in the talks.

Mr Ahmed said further that Dr Machar was not under house arrest in South Africa, where he fled to last year.

He explained that the regional bloc had no problem with Dr Machar relocating from South Africa.

Humanitarian crises

South Sudan attained independence from Sudan in 2011 but descended into a civil war two years later.

The war erupted following a power wrangle between President Kiir and his former deputy Dr Machar.

The war has caused one of the largest humanitarian crises in the continent, according to the UN.

About 2 million South Sudanese have become refugees in neighbouring countries.

The International Crisis Group estimates that more than 100,000 lives have been lost in the young nation from from 2013 to 2015 alone.