African leaders are trying to jump start peace talks in South Sudan, where more than one thousand have been killed in almost two weeks of fighting between government troops and forces loyal to the former vice president.  Regional leaders from the IGAD group will meet later today in Nairobi, Kenya.

Earlier on Thursday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in South Sudan to meet with President Salva Kiir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.  The preliminary talks were described by Ethiopia as “very constructive and very candid.”

Kiir agreed “in principle” to stop hostilities and to negotiate with rebel leader and former Vice President Riek Machar, who is expected to be formally invited by East Africa's IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) to attend upcoming peace talks.

United Nations Special Representative for South Sudan Hilde Johnson welcomed any efforts to reconcile the warring factions, in the interest of civilians caught in the crossfire.

“Establishing a protective environment for civilians so that they feel safe and can return home with their families can solve this problem for all of us and that what we hope to see and that’s going to be a major task for us as a mission and for the government,” said Johnson.

Meanwhile, the UN said the first peacekeeping reinforcements were expected to arrive in 48 hours after the Security Council approved 5,000 more troops for the effort.  They'll arrive as fighting spreads.  Government troops are trying to retake control of Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, from forces loyal to Machar.  Fighting was also reported in Malakal, capital of Upper Nile state.  Upper Nile and Unity comprise the country’s key oil-producing region, raising concerns that unrest there could cut off the economic lifeblood of the young nation, which gets nearly its entire government budget from oil.