Raging conflict in South Sudan top priority in AU summit in Kigali

The African Union is looking into ways to address the conflict in South Sudan in the ongoing summit in Kigali.

The AU will wait for the outcomes from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting underway in Nairobi, for an option on how best to respond to the crisis.

South Sudan slipped back into conflict last week as soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and first vice-president Riek Machar exchanged gunfire in the capital Juba, a repeat of the 2013 fallout.

Regional leaders discussed on how the ongoing power struggle in South Sudan can be resolved and how the two factions can be reined in, to end the hostilities which have reportedly claimed over 270 people.

So far, the conflict has killed hundreds, forced more than 2.5 million people from their homes and left almost half the population of 11 million people struggling to find food.

Oil production, by far the biggest source of government revenue, has also gone down.