South Sudan ceasefire comes into effect (Source: AFP)

Government and several armed groups signed a ceasefire deal Thursday during peace negotiations in Addis Ababa, to begin from 00:01 hours (South Sudan local time) on December 24. The agreement says all forces should "immediately freeze in their locations", halt actions that could lead to confrontation and release political detainees as well as abducted women and children. Riek Machar, the former vice president whose falling out with President Salva Kiir kickstarted the conflict in December 2013, has ordered his rebel forces to "cease all hostilities". Violence spread to the southern region of Equatoria, forcing over a million South Sudanese to flock to neighbouring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in what has become the biggest refugee crisis on the continent.