South Sudan's tentative ceasefire agreement appeared to be holding with no reports of fresh clashes Saturday, hours after the warring sides signed a deal in Addis Ababa to end hostilities. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar unexpectedly signed an agreement "to immediately cease all hostile activities" late Friday after holding direct talks in Addis Ababa. There were no reports of clashes Saturday in the war-torn nation, where a bloody conflict erupted in mid-December when the power struggle between Kiir and his former vice president Machar turned violent. Philip Aguer, spokesman for South Sudan's army, told dpa by phone in Juba that there were "no reports" of fighting so far, although he cautioned that the military had yet to receive the text of the agreement or the "zero hour" from which the cessation of hostilities would begin. The agreement included a pledge to freeze troops and allow humanitarian access while further negotiations lead to a more permanent ceasefire and creation of a transitional government. Regional and Western leaders, who ramped up diplomacy over the past two weeks to push both sides to a deal, praised the deal. The talks were brokered by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Welcoming the deal, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: "This is a potential breakthrough if it is swiftly implemented. South Sudan is in a race against time. A humanitarian calamity beckons." She said in a statement that Kiir and Machar must issue orders immediately to all military units to refrain from any hostilities. "We also expect a prompt resumption of talks leading to the formation of a transitional government of national unity." But, the agreement has been met with scepticism. A previous cessation of hostilities signed in January was entirely ignored. Of special concern is the town of Bentiu in the country's north, the site of intense fighting throughout the conflict which changed hands twice last week. Heavy fighting was reported there on Thursday, and there had been a massive buildup of government troops throughout the week. Humanitarian groups with staff in Bentiu on Saturday told dpa that the situation there has been calm since last night. The fighting, which largely took place along ethnic lines, killed thousands of people, displaced more than a million from their homes, and has created one of the world's most urgent humanitarian disasters. -- SPA 19:14 LOCAL TIME 16:14 GMT تغريد
