South Sudan warring parties set for direct peace talks

This, even as fighting intensified for control of a key oil town

South Sudan's warring parties were set to begin direct talks today in a bid to end the conflict pushing the world's youngest nation towards civil war as fighting intensified for control of a key oil town.

The army yesterday moved on rebel-held Bor as government and rebel negotiating teams gathered at a luxury hotel in neighbouring Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

"We have enough forces who will defeat the rebels within 24 hours," army spokesman Philip Aguer said in South Sudan, with reports of intense battles involving tanks and artillery on the outskirts of Bor, a dusty oil town that has already exchanged hands three times since fighting began.

"These forces -- the rebels -- are now retreating back," Aguer insisted, quashing rebel claims that they had been marching on the capital Juba.

Rebel leader and former vice president Riek Machar told Britain's Telegraph newspaper that his forces would hold back from attacking Juba in the hope of achieving a "negotiated settlement".

Government forces should also stop trying to take territory under his control, Machar added.

The US embassy in South Sudan ordered a further pullout of staff because of the "deteriorating security situation" and said it had successfully evacuated 20 embassy personnel yesterday.

But Washington insisted it remains committed to ending the violence in South Sudan.

"Even as we draw down our personnel, we continue to be engaged in and strongly support regional and international efforts to bring the violence to an end," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said.

About 45 troops remain stationed in Juba to provide additional security for the US embassy.

Thousands of people are feared to have been killed in the fighting since it erupted on December 15, pitting army units loyal to President Salva Kiir against a loose alliance of ethnic militia forces and mutinous army commanders nominally headed by his rival, former vice president Machar.

The ongoing battles prompted the top UN aid official in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, to warn that soldiers and rebels must protect civilians and aid workers, or risk worsening a situation he described as critical.

In the calm of the hotel in Addis Ababa, rivals met special envoys from regional nations and Ethiopia's foreign minister confirmed that direct talks are expected to start on today.

"We just finished the first round of proxy talks with both negotiating teams of South Sudan," the minister, Tedros Adhanom, said on his Twitter feed.

"Will proceed to direct talks tomorrow (Saturday)," he said.