South Sudan Peace Process: New peace deal will be discussed at African Union summit

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The new peace deal in South Sudan that was signed this week will be one of the main talking points at the African Union Summit in Mauritania. South Sudan's government says it's hopeful this will lead to a permanent end to the ongoing conflict in the country. The civil war began in 2013 due to a disagreement among members of the ruling party. CGTN's Patrick Oyet reports.

The war in South Sudan has been going on for five years.

The UN Refugee Agency says 4.4 million people - more than a third of the population - has been displaced. Of those 2.5 million South Sudanese are now living abroad as refugees.

But things are gradually improving.

JOHANN SIFFOINTE UNHCR "This year we have a far less number of refugees who have departed, it's about 50 hundred people in the first quarter of the year on average 500 people a day, last year it was more 3 thousand people a day."

President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar have once again agreed to work together. On Friday both Kiir and Machar declared a permanent ceasefire - a provision of this week's deal. But the two men have previously failed twice to work as a team. And some South Sudanese people remain skeptical about their latest commitment to work together.

BIDAL ALIGO SOUTH SUDAN CIVIL SOCIETY ALLIANCE "With this cessation of hostilities, we need the commitment of all the parties so that we can reach sustainable peace for the people of South Sudan."

South Sudan's government insists it's working to bring peace back to the country.

MICHAEL MAKUEI INFORMATION MINISTER, SOUTH SUDAN "After the AU summit, we will move to Kenya where we will go and continue negotiating on all the other outstanding issues. Hopefully by then, we will have agreed on all of them then thereafter, we will be moving to Addis Ababa to go and sign a final agreement."

The UN set June 30th as the deadline for president Kiir and Riek Machar to reach a final agreement.

PATRICK OYET JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN "But the two rival politicians have only agreed on a framework for a would-be agreement. Their teams are now in Khartoum to try and work out the exact details of a lasting agreement."

Many in South Sudan hope the negotiators will this time compromise and reach a deal to end the war in the country, once and for all.

Patrick Oyet, CGTN, Juba, South Sudan.