ADDIS ABABA – The East African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) released a statement on Sunday, stating that South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar should reside in countries outside the bloc except to attend peace talks.

In a press statement, the regional bloc of eight member states said Machar who is currently residing in South Africa should be free to leave the country but should reside in non-IGAD member countries.

The statement did not give reasons why it does not want Machar to reside in IGAD member states, but previous extended stays by the South Sudan rebel leader in IGAD countries has raised complaints from authorities in Juba.

IGAD has led several rounds of peace talks since a brutal civil war started in South Sudan in December 2013, which has left tens of thousands of people dead and around 4 million people displaced.

The IGAD press statement comes after a rare face-to-face meeting on Thursday between Machar and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa in a bid to revive stalled peace talks.

The meeting in Addis Ababa between the two South Sudan figures in Addis Ababa ended without concrete agreement on how to end the civil war.

IGAD has tasked Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to facilitate another round of face-to-face meeting between Machar and Kiir within two weeks to build on the Ethiopia talks and find a permanent solution to end the civil war.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 between the rival leaders under United Nations pressure led to the establishment of a transitional unity government in April 2016, but was shattered by renewed fighting months later.

Xinhua