>> beyond borderland... only on al jazeera america > you time to talk. south sudan rival leaders expected to meet face to face in the coming hours. . >> hello, welcome to al jazeera, live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead - trying to run down the government in thailand, days after the prime minister is forced from office. separatists in east ukraine refuse to delay their vote on independence. and court in conflict - thousands from one of the philippines last indigenous

tribes are displaced from their homes. it's hoped south sudan's two rival leaders will meet face to face in the coming hours. president salva kiir. and his former deputy riek machar are in the ethiopia capital, their first meeting since mass fighting began. fighting erupted in december. the army split into factions, pitting members of salva kiir's dinka tribe against the nuer people. much of the violence has been along ethnic lines, thousands have been killed, and more than a million displaced. a u.n. report has armed groups on all sides of the conflict are guilty of carrying out gross violations of human rights, and the report calls for an end to the violence. diplomatic editor james bays has more. >> reporter: the details in this

latest u.n. human rights report are shocking - 61 pages of mass murders, rape, killings taking place in south sudan. it started as a political dispute between two different factions and turned into a tribal war. real concern around the security council table. i spoke to ambassadors, they went in for the meeting on the subject, read the report and were shocked. they must decide what is going to be done. this is not the only security council meeting. one is being called on monday in a further briefing by the u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon. what they are discussing is changing the focus of the u.n. mission, focussing on protecting civilians on the ground, bringing in more troops. they have called for 5,000 troops coming from other missions. some from africa, darfur and

further afield, including haiti. the other thing they are discussing is accountability, finding those responsible and bringing them to account. what they are discussing is possibly sanctions. the u.s. has introduced sanctions on two men who are right-hand men of the two leaders. the u.n. security council is discussing whether there should be international u.n. sanctions. russia and others are reluctant to introduce sanctions. our correspondent is live for us in the ethiopia capital addis abu ba. what are the expectations from the meeting? >> well, president salva kiir is expected to arrive in the capital any time from now. his former deputy riek machar is already in the country. the two men will separately meet

the prime minister and will talk about what they want to talk about and what they don't want to talk about before they come here, the sheraton ab us abba ba. it will be the first contact, and his deputy president, riek machar, will have since the violence began in september. many are not optimistic that the two leaders have come to an agreement today, largely because of the issues that are at stake. however, if they agree on a process not only to end the fighting, but the conflict, that will be seen as a first tape. >> the ceasefire agreement between the two parties didn't hold. you mentioned the stalks. they are so much higher now, so many more displayed. what do you feel is different this time? >> well, what we feel is different, and what the

mediators feel is different is the two leaders. the top-most leaders of the two sides in the conflict in south sudan. the talks are going on here in addis abu ba. the ceasefire agreement signed has to be respected by both side, and it goes on in south sudan. it is filling by the mediators and the u.s. government, who have been putting a lot of pressure on both sides in south sudan, that is salva kiir, and riek machar - that they can come together and at least draw the process with which they want an agreement to go. then it is highly likely that the peace process would be successful. that is why they have brought the two leaders to addis abba ba to talk. there's a feeling that the people discussing and negotiating over the last three

or four months do not have as much gravitas as the two leaders, and it's only what they want that is finally going to hold water. >> thank you very much for that. our correspondent joining us from the ethiopia capital. to other new, and police in the thai capital fired tear gas and water canon at opposition protesters, trying to force their way into a government compound. demonstrators are gathering in a final effort to overthrow the caretaker government. some are rallying in the tv compound calling for the broadcaster to stop washing for the party. yingluck shinawatra resigned after the constitutional court ordered her to step down on wednesday. protest leader addressed demonstrators at bangkok. >> we are not the enemy. our enemy is only the thaksin

regime and the shinawatra family. if you want a nice destruction, back the power to the people. other headlines around the world. relatives of those who died on the south korean ferry are staging a sit-in near the presidential palace in seoul, demanding to meet president park geun-hye, who faced criticism for the handling of the disaster which killed 270 people. the african national congress maintained its lead as ballots continue to be counted in south africa. the ruling parties clemping -- clenched 53% of the vote. in an hour silvio berlusconi will start his first day as community service. he's to work once a week for a

year at a hospice for karl alzner patients. ales himmer's patients. a victory parade is being held in the red square, marking the anniversary of the soviet announcement of germany's surrender in world war ii. festivities in ukraine are being scaled back because of the breakdown in relations with moscow. pro-russia activists in eastern ukraine are preparing for a rebel referendum on self-rule. they are defying calls to delay a vote that is due to take plus on sunday. we have this report on don everybody. where the activists announced their decision. >> the separatists of eastern ukraine might have been expected to do exactly what russia's president urged them to do, poewes pope their referred --

postpone their referendum and negotiate with the government. sitting a unanimous vote, the chairman said the referendum would go ahead. >> translation: we don't have direct contact with vladimir putin, we found out about his proposal through the mass media. he'll hear about our decision in the same way. >> representatives of luhansk announced they'd do like wees. >> in the stronghold of slovyansk, the focus of an effort by ukranian forces to dislodge armed pro-russian groups, the message - here, too, they are ready for sunday's vote. >> the majority of the region and the city will vote positively. i know this because i have talked to citizens in all sectors of the population. everyone supports us and wants a better solution. >> with that, in the cornes of eastern ukraine, vladimir

putin's potential was dismissed. >> translation: i can only expect, and i think all the cities in donetsk agree with us, the separation from ukraine from the donetsk people's republic. >> translation: we are oriented to the european public. all our roots are here in russia. >> with soviet music blaring across the square. this is the music occupied by representatives of the people's republics. after sunday's vote, many here hope it will become the seat of an autonomous government. and the hopes raised by vladimir putin on wednesday of a resolution to this crisis in ukraine appear to be unfounded. we are going to go back to thailand where anti-government protesters forced their way into a government compound.

our correspondent veronica pedrosa is standing by for us in the thai capital. not enough for the protesters that the former prime minister yingluck shinawatra is gone. they continue to protest. what are they doing there? >> well, here i am at government house, which is a different complex to the one that was overtaken as you mentioned earlier. this is where the prime minister usually holds office. as you say, the prime minister - the caretaker prime minister yingluck shinawatra has been ousted and replaced by a caretaker premier. there's no one here, so - taking office in the building behind me, as you can see, it's surrounded. this is normally a busy intersection. it's been taken over by protestors, who are occupying the area. they want to get rid, they say, of every vestige of what they call the thaksin regime, referring to the billionaire

brother and controversial figure of yingluck shinawatra, and the controversial figure. he is the figure that polarizes people across thailand. there are many demonstrators who also have gone to the television channels across the capital, aside from here. they a they are threatening to take over those television stations and they ask the tv news not to broadcast government news and broadcast what the demonstrators are doing. these are tense times, the places will be occupied. the leader of the protests is saying that he will stay here overnight. tomorrow, in the morning, pro-government supporters, the supporters of the former prime minister yingluck shinawatra are having their own mass demonstration. there are said to be something like 15,000 police and soldiers deployed across the city to make

sure that things stay peaceful and in order. to be honest. i haven't seen a single one. >> thank you very much for that update. that's our correspondent veronica pedrosa, joining us from the thai capital bangkok. coming up on the programme - back in government hand. the last syrian rebel fighters leave the city regarded as the capital of the uprising. and the scramble for aid by those in afghanistan, displaced by a landslide. sh ♪

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good to have you with us. these are the top stories on al jazeera. rebel leader riek machar is due to meet with south sudan's president salva kiir for the first time, coming a day after the release of a u.n. report blaming both sides for gross violation of human rights. anti-government protesters are marching through bangkok in a final push to overthrow the caretaker's government, following a ruling on wednesday that forced yingluck shinawatra to resign. russia is celebrating a victory day parade marking german's defeat. it comes as separatists in eastern ukraine ignored a request to postpone a referendum on independence in kiev. >> heavy rain in north-eastern afghanistan made conditions worse. we have this report from

badakhshan. >> reporter: they have been sitting here for hours. waiting for something to eat. this food has been supplied by supporters of the country's leading presidential candidate abdullah abdullah. volunteers tried to distribute the meals in an ordinary way. as is the case at all distribution areas, scuffles broke out as people pushed their way to the front. the desperation here is easy to see. many have not had a hot meal in days and are worried that the food will run out before they get something to eat. overseeing the delivery of the aid is a member of parliament. she tells us that the government is doing its bet. >> we underit's very difficult, but we would like to bring - we will be here for more days to improve the people. the distribution committee will distribute the people to the most needy people. we have decided and hope it will

improve. >> the chaos continued as more people forced their way forward. not everywhere here looking for food is directly affected by the landslide. men have come from neighbouring villages. people like ali, what the government calls an opportunist aid seeker, someone coming here knowing that supplies are available and taking whatever he can get. >> translation: i'm poor. these people who suffered in the landslide are my brothers. i need help too. >> so-called op tonnist aide seekers are to blame for the cha chaos. organizers promote anger because they have no idea who is in need. the sad reality of the poor and underdeveloped region is that most people are. syria's government is back in control of homs after

three years of battling with rebels. hundreds of opposition fighters left the city. they were allowed to withdraw under a u.n. and iran brokered agreement. we have this report from beirut, in lebanon. >> syrian army soldiers fan out in the central city of homs after armed rebels left their last stronghold. it took three years for the syrian army to regain control over the third-largest city. fierce battles were fought here and devastation is everywhere. many lives lost in the fighting. government officials toured destroyed neighbourhoods and promised reconstruction. >> this agreement is a milestone in the history of syria, we pray to god that homes is the cause of the solution, as it was the cause of the crisis in the first place. >> this was a deal brokered by

the iranian ambassador. it gave the rebels a safe exit, and the syrian government full control of what was considered the capital of the rev lyings. in return rebels freed pro-government hostages held for months. the rebels allowed aid to reach some of the besieged villages to support president bashar al-assad. >> translation: there's respect for the ceasefire according to the agreement between both parties, and annees by god and -- annees by god and syrians to reach their goals. for the president this is a victory, a success in government efforts to extend its authorities to areas that would help by the rebels, ahead of elections in june 3rdrd. the deal with also allow the government to redirect troops to other flashpoints like aleppo, where the islamic fronts blew up

the hotel op thursday morning. it's reported the hotel was at the army base. homs was considered the most reelious city in syria and it's a setback for the opposition to lose it. the rebels vow they will retake it. >> reporter: the homs deal was made and integrated on the ground. building on his forces military advances on the ground president bashar al-assad is hoping to regain control all over the country with a similar deal in the major hot spots, and without having to pay political concessions for it. the head of the mission charged with destroying syria's chemical weapons says almost all of it has been destroyed. the organise ailings for the prohibition says 8% of the stock remains at a site in damascus. president bashar al-assad's

regime has until 30 june to surrender all of it. three al jazeera journalists have been held in an egyptian prison for 132 days, peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed is accused of conspiring with the muslim brotherhood, declared a terrorist organization. our colleague, abdullah al-shami, has been on hunger strike for 10 # days. al jazeera rejects all the charges and is demanding their immediate release. now, the fill peeps military -- philippines military objective replaced thousands of members of a last indigenous tribe. we have this report. >> these are the last remaining indigenous tribes of the philippines whose culture remains intact. they are considered the keepers of the southern rainforest. they are homeless. driven from their homes after

the philippine military launched an offensive more than a month ago against communist rebels hiding in their area. over 1,000 are forced to live in evacuation camps, and they are angry. military forgave the villages. there are no communists here. what we want it the to go back to our homes, plough our fields, swim in our refers. the conflict involving communist rebels is one of the world's longest running. tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in decades of fighting. over the years the group set up political parties, engaging in peace talks. these have largely failed. in 2010, president abbing eacho -- abbing eeno renewed talks. a breakdown of negotiations led to more fighting. the military denied it cost the

replacement of villages. communist rebels in the area is ongoing, the priority has been to secure the communities. an estimated 5,000 communist fighters were active across the country. the group is still recruiting in far-flung communities like this one, where people are poor and largely neglected. >> we have been operating here for so long and we've never had massive evacuations. someone encouraged them to leave. the rebels had a strong influence. >> here people say that they should never be caught up with a conflict they have little to do with. >> we have to facilitate their conflict quickly. the longer they are displaced, the longer they are scrul nerable to virt -- vulnerable. >> for generations, they have become casualties, and they say

what they want it to be able to live in peace. >> now, vigilantes in mexico's western states have been asked to join a new police force that follows a year of fighting in which the self-defence units pushed back drug cartels. adam raney reports. >> reporter: slugs, shot, collected and saved. all part of an official gun registration. vigilantes amassed the fire power for a war against a fierce cartel. now that the knights templar largely disappeared, the government is telling the vigilantes to stand down. once registered vigilantes can keep their guns, starting saturday, they can no longer patrol a self-defence unit. >> translation: we are going to keep working as rural police,

rural defence forces. >> the security commissioner says anyone controlling without official authority saturday will be arrested. >> from may 11th any self-defence member carrying a gun, patrolling, ridding the streets without being in an official uniform or the authority of the state will be detained. some are wary of disarming, especially in light of reports that a new cartel is forming. earlier this year they were entangled in a war involving the cartel, vigilantes and a security force. some call it a failed state. thousands chose to follow the government's plan, fearing they could lose their gun. >> reporter: after operating outside the law, vigilantes are putting their face in it. scenes of mutual trust between the army and vigilantes was

unthinkable months ago. vigilantes are sitting with competency tests. more than 2,000 have applied. >> this is it a battle that neither the government nor we in the movement can carry out alone. together we can fight organised crime. >> a sense of faith in an increasingly ab sent government. >> rodeos are a big part of rural life in north america. in the u.s. state of louisiana, there's a show that stands out. andy gallagher frorps the anchor -- reports if the angola prison rodeo. >> reporter: it's billed as the wildest show in the south, for good reason. take convict poker, an event that pits nerves against the raw power of a bull. these are not trained cowboys, they are inmates at one of

louisiana's secure prisons. >> today they can be king for a day. the victim would say who cares. what is important is we have to rehabilitate him. if any get out, they don't hurt you. is it part of the rehabilitative programme to do the rodeo. >> locally the prison is known as angola, or, "the farm", housing some of the dangerous criminals, including murderers and rapists. the rules are relaxed. inmate run their own arts and craft stalls and are allowed make money to keep the businesses going. it's the rodeo that attracts the most tanks. >> there are those that say this is nothing short of an inhumane spectator sport. half are first-time offenders that never see the outside of prin walls. injuries are commonplace. >> they would not give us any

information about how many prisoners have been hurt over the years. every precaution is taken and there's little sympathy for convicted criminals. >> there's nothing to lose, i guess. something fun and different for them to do. >> they have a choice, like they had a choice what they was doing. they made the choice to come here. . >> none of the prisoners are forced to take part in the rodeo. the $500 prize money for the grand finale known as guts and glory ensures that participation is high. for many it's a highlight of a life behind bars. >> i came out here. i was hooked. i think gee, for me to come by here and find a rodeo, it's a joy for me and my family. they come every year. >> angola prison, the average sentence is 95 years, most will

die and be buried here. for them this rodeo is a taste of freedom, even if only for a few seconds. that story and the rest of the news can be found on the website aljazeera.com.