Direct talks on South Sudan open in Ethiopia
More than 180,000 people have been displaced in the conflict Direct talks on ending the conflict in South Sudan have officially opened in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The negotiations are focusing on bringing about a ceasefire and the release of political prisoners.
Rebels supporting sacked Deputy President Riek Machar are involved in fierce fighting with the forces of President Salva Kiir.
At least 1,000 people have been killed since the conflict began on 15 December.
More than 180,000 people have been displaced.
Aid workers say many of them are living without shelter, clean water or sanitation.
The Ethiopia talks were earlier delayed, dampening hopes of a quick end to the fighting. But it later emerged that direct talks would take place.
One report suggests that substantive negotiations will begin Sunday.
The BBC's Alastair Leithead in the South Sudan capital, Juba, says both sides think they have the upper hand and, with their positions so far apart, something dramatic must change for a speedy agreement to come out of the talks.
South Sudan's Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the BBC that the rebels would have to acknowledge that they had instigated a coup attempt. He said the government's compromise was to have agreed to the talks.
Mr Machar, in an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, said his forces would hold back from attacking Juba to try to reach a negotiated settlement.
"I'm being restrained by the international community and the talks, which I hope will yield some fruits," he said.
However, there were reports of heavy fighting continuing on the outskirts of the rebel-held city of Bor, in Jonglei state.
Our correspondent says there are well-armed units there and both sides may be trying to put themselves in the strongest military position possible as the talks take place.
The situation around Bor is of particular concern The government said its troops were attempting to recapture both Bor and the city of Bentiu, in the northern state of Unity.
Government spokesman Col Philip Aguer said: "We will take Bor within 24 hours," adding: "There is no threat to Juba."
An official connected to the rebels told the Sudan Tribune news website that Col Aguer's comments were "propaganda".
Ethnic divisionsDelegates from both sides began arriving in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday but talks were delayed until the full negotiating teams had arrived.
Until now, talks have been taking place only through mediators.
South Sudan is the world's newest state. It was formed in 2011, gaining independence from Sudan after decades of conflict.
The latest trouble has its roots in tensions that go back long before 2011.
Politicians' political bases are often ethnic. President Kiir is from the Dinka community while Mr Machar is a Nuer.
Fighting erupted in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in mid-December. It followed a political power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his ex-deputy Riek Machar. The squabble has taken on an ethnic dimension as politicians' political bases are often ethnic. 
Sudan's arid north is mainly home to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in South Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own languages and traditional beliefs, alongside Christianity and Islam. 
Both Sudan and the South are reliant on oil revenue, which accounts for 98% of South Sudan's budget. They have fiercely disagreed over how to divide the oil wealth of the former united state - at one time production was shutdown for more than a year. Some 75% of the oil lies in the South but all the pipelines run north 
The two Sudans are very different geographically. The great divide is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. South Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest. 
After gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan is the world's newest country - and one of its poorest. Figures from 2010 show some 69% of households now have access to clean water - up from 48% in 2006. However, just 2% of households have water on the premises. 
Just 29% of children attend primary school in South Sudan - however this is also an improvement on the 16% recorded in 2006. About 32% of primary-age boys attend, while just 25% of girls do. Overall, 64% of children who begin primary school reach the last grade. 
Almost 28% of children under the age of five in South Sudan are moderately or severely underweight - this compares with the 33% recorded in 2006. Unity state has the highest proportion of children suffering malnourishment (46%), while Central Equatoria has the lowest (17%). 
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