Peace Deal Signed In South Sudan

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (right) and major opposition leader Riek Machar sign the final deal on power-sharing (Picture: PA).

A peace deal has been reached in South Sudan between the government and rebel groups.

The power sharing deal was signed by South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar along with other opposition groups in a bid to end five years of civil war.

South Sudan has been gripped by civil war since 2013 after declaring independence from Sudan.

300 soldiers from the Royal Engineers are based in South Sudan on a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

In November 2017, it was announced that the deployment was extended by another year to April 2020.

The Humans Rights Watch (HRW) say that since the start of the conflict, almost 2 million people have been internally displaced and another 2 million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, with 1 million in Uganda alone.

More than 230,000 people are sheltering in six United Nations bases in towns across the country, according to the HRW.