government troops recaptured the capital from riek machar's followers. >> the rebels ran towards theouth, and this is where they are. we are chasing them. we have to secure the whole state. >> bentiu is usually busy. in south sudan and north it is quiet. some parts are unrecognisable. >> this was a busy market. it's been destroyed. when the fighting started people ran to the base. the government is not in control, but people are afraid to come back into the town. >> many shops and homes have been looted. property belonging to aid agencies was not spared. many humanitarian organizations have relocated. there is fighting in some parts of the state. the army says it's in control of the capital. however, a rumour the rebels could be planning a counterattack makes people nervous. we woke up this morning and have the - and we know they are coming. i stay in the house. if we die, there's nothing i can do. >> government officials are telling people not to listen to who they call propaganda. >> they are our houses. you have norred heard sounds of guns. why are you running away. >> taking a br

forces loyal to the former vice president, riek machar. a few civilians are allowed on board maybe women and children. government officials say they have recaptured the opportunity of beenentu, some haven't been maird and there is an where overwhelming where is images of women and children. >> many of them are not buried. i was unable to sleep at all. this is not the nation we wanted. this is not the home i dream of before the independence of the wash. >> many people haven't returned. >>> there is nobody here. others went as far as the capital juba. here is another blow to the oil producing state, production has stopped. government blames the rebels for the destruction. have. >> they have destroyed the facility processing of oil, and they can remove out all electronics machines, in the operation rooms you know, and they remove all assets that belong to the staffs and then also, same damage to thomas house, they are not been aware the area was under control of those people. so they destroyed so many facilities and loyalties. >> some believe

riek machar rejected proposals. for those that want peace, it may not happen soon. >> still to come on the program - downgraded to junk. qantas struggles to keep up in a competitive market. >> hello, live in doha, and these are the it top stories: days of intense shelling by forces in the suburb of damascus. it left it in ruins, these are exclusive pictures, most appears to be deserted. >> now members of parliament have been sworn in in bangladesh. the awami league party won 232 of 300 seats. >> a central african republic president travelled to chad to meet leaders who want to end the violence in his country. he has been criticised for failing to stop fighting between muslims and christians that flared up in december. >> next week egypt will hold a referendum on a new constitution. egyptians living abroad can vote early. they have until the end of this week. >> it's another working day for the egyptians in britain. like compatriots around the world, they are preparing to vote on a new constitution. the man that runs

riek machar rejected the propose am. those that want peace in south sudan, it may not happen soon. >> still to come in the next 30 minutes. >> we shall not rest until that war is won. >> 50 years after a u.s. president declared a war on poverty the fight only gets harder. >> and we take a look at one of the world's dirtiest waterways. the river in argentina, and what is being done to clean it up. >> in sport, after two months out, one of the best footballers scores twice on his return. >> north korea rejected a proposal by south korea to continue the reunion of families spirited by the korean war. harry fawcett has more from seoul. >> south korea has been waiting all week for a response to the offer by the president in her new year's press conference on monday, that there should be family reunions taking place on january the 31st. the day the lunar new year falls. there were attempts to carry out search reunions towards the end of last year, and it seems ready to go. north korea pulled out with a few days to go. it spiri

bentu was in the hands of forces loyal to riek machar. al matassa reports on the impact of the violence on unity state. >> people are still trying to get out of unity state in south sudan. but the doors to this cargo plane have been closed. for now only the wounded are being flown out. most are soldiers injured during weeks of fighting against forces loyal to the former vice president, riek machar. many women and children leave behind the community trying to recover from weeks of fighting. government officials say they have recaptured the town of bentu from the rebels. there is an overwhem overoverwhg sense of loss here. >> the images of the women and children, many of them are not buried. i was unable osleep at all. this was not the nation we wanted this is not the home i dream of before the independence at all. >> many people haven't returned. >> there are no civilians here. the place is deserted. when the fighting started and many ran to the u.n. base others went as far as the capital juba. production at the oil processing facility has

riek machar and salva kiir, they also need to be sensitive to the reality that after 21 years of war, there are a lot of psychologically scarred young people who have become adult. it is a very young country. you have to address the needs. you have to look at issues of inequality. you have to look at issues of inquit. inequity. access to advancement of the human development of south sudan. i think that's where they kind of got left out of the development curve. they need the peace development, i think that itself will allow opportunities of uniting these different tribes. >> in the short time we have left, obviously there is a the political track taking place in adis abbaba, the situation is dire for those people there. how difficult is it proving to be able to get food, water and medical care to the people who are displaceor the people who in fact are fleeing for their lives? >> i would best describe south sudan as a diabolical trinity where nature and diseases have been overwhelming. having lived there, i know, you know, from diseases to incliment diseases to diarrheal diseases, the

their detention has been a sticking point between president salva kiir, and rebels led by riek macharccording to egyptian state arab gulf states will give them $4 million. it has been helping to keep the economy afloat during the political turmoil. >> al jazeera calls on the egyptian government to release five journalists. the government says the cases have been referred to the clt court by the prosecutor general. al jazeera has not been notified of formal charges. >> the three staff of al jazeera english form , baher mohamed and peter greste have been held for a month. from arabic lang bij channels abdullah al-shami has been held six months and mohammed badr 200 days. wednesday was the latest attempt to get them released. speakers from the bbc, sky news and british "daily telegraph" expressing concerns about what is said about the interim government in egypt. >> for a great nation like egypt to treat people doing the job as journalists, which is an ethical decent job which all decent societies need, for egypt, of all countries to treat journalists this way. >> while this happened the

betweenonflict began salva kiir and former vice president riek machar but it anckly turned -- took on aspect i mention. thousands of flee their homes in fear of violence. chief joined by our foreign editor. what chance is there at all of any success in these talks? >> if you listen to what the negotiators are saying, you would think that things are going relatively well. fullre talking about reconciliation on the opposition side, the rebel side, and from the government side. you would think that things are going well, but the reality is that there are not. as the 2 sides and manipulate themselves into stronger positions further down the line one imagines, but at the moment lockedare pretty much into position they were at the start of the negotiations and the key demand from the opposition side is that the government as a condition for the tax getting underway released the 11 members, pro-rebel members, released them before talks could get underway. the government, for its part, says under no circumstances. those people were arrested because they were involved in a coup attempt against

it will destroy more. >> what is the fate of riek machar in your view? >> accepted reasoning and stop fighting. what does he want? he wants to become the president? okay. let us go through the process of transferring power. power can be transferred in the peaceful means. that is, in the elections. so that if he win, he becomes the president. the people of south sudan say - they will have to say what do they want riek machar to do. if they call him, and he accepts to come and tells them what he has done, and ask them to allow him to continue, i will also add my voice to the people. >> your relationship with the united nation seems strained. in fact, a few days ago you accused them of acting like a parallel government in south sudan, and you said that secretary-general ban ki-moon fell short of appointing his own president in south sudan. why the tension between this - the international body. especially that the united nations has been a big supporter over the years of. >> we are denying, we are a member state of the united nations. there can be no way tha

the tribe was supporting riek machar and his militias situated up the border with the north.e don't know what the reaction will be. until now there is an eerie silence, we don't hear from riek machar, even though he has been in contact with media outlets around the world, talking to them over the phone. it's a situation of wait and see to see the reaction of the rebels, and whether the north and south, juba and carr tomb will implement what they decide with regards to the protection of oil wells. >> reporting to us there on the situation in south sudan. thanks for that. >> a lot more ahead on the program. when we come back, why the re-elected prime minister in bangladesh is blaming her rivals for what she calls terrorist activities. we go back in history to see what the future holds for the u.s. economy. >> hello again. you're watching al jazeera. the top stories - the streets of fallujah are deserted. they are asking for help from opposition fighters. tribesman are warned of dire consequences if they support the army. >> sudan and south sudan are considering a joint patrol f

those loyal to kiir's ex-vice president, riek machar. in we came here to understand what we can do to stop this war. our belief is that military solutions does not sof the problem, and the problems are very complicated so the people will at the end sit and negotiate until they reach an agreement. >> in the capital khartoum. we come to you sort of in the middle. what do you know of the negotiations taking place in addis ababa? >> yes, conflicting reports about the negotiations in addis ababa. the main negotiations is that they are somehow stalled because of the rueful of the south sudanese representative delegation there to accept their and in thademands that were prey the rebel side basically to organize elections, for more participation and specific conditions that they have submitted there, and the juba side, those represent manage salva kiir are still refusing to accept those conditions. we also know that in sudan activityada itself,south sudan l cease fire to the rebel leaders. in fact, he has not been participating actively in the r

riek machar's forces had taken control of town. south sudan government say they had pillaged a town, destroying everything in their sites. we accompanied the governor as he drove around. 30,000 people used to live here. we struggled to find civilians. almost everyone had either fled or been killed. at the governor's office the scene was different. proof the governor says the rebels were criminals, not interested in political reform. the way they destroyed this thing is they showed that these people are not responsible people. ideally for the change of the system, they would have not made this destruction. >> a short distance away is bor's only hospital. it, too, was not spared. the ambulance was taken apart and inside the medicine store and the hospital's equipment was stolen. >> when the fighting broke out the hospital was filled with the injured being treated. when the rebels advanced, they spared no one. witnesses say they killed people in their beds. the smell is unbearable. these are the only three survivors on the attack in h

that leaves the rebels and those aligned with the former vice president riek machar with a small stronghold, and that is the latest development. >> just to bring us up-to-date with what we're hearing reports of possible cease-fire in a few day's time. is that likely to happen? >> well, if you speak to the spokesperson of the president's spokesperson, he would say that tomorrow or max on monday, when asked what that would entail we're giving little detail other than the main stumbling blocks that lead to a cease-fire, which are there are 11 political prisoners that should be released. that stumbling block has been removed. the government said if they agree with the rebels that will be discussed away from this current conflict, there would be negotiations. and it was also strange about that announcement there is only one front line left which as i mentioned, and the rebels have not controlled anything else as far as what the government is saying. whether they would be able to stand in other parts where there are renegade commanders who do not answer to riek machar. >> a suicide attack in a le

and the size of -- you might say the force that riek machar teny has control of or influence over? you give us an idea of the villages and sizes of the area? >> that's part of the problem in talking about the situation in south sudan, and the numbers that you talk about are very fluid. i rarely trust numbers that i hear people express about the situation in south sudan in general. it's a very difficult place to try to engage scale and numbers. and individual's allegiances can be very fluid. so it's something very difficult to pin down. >> well, for the moment we shall see. matthew thank you so much for joining us from our london studio. >>> lebanese investigators are combing through the wreckage of the blast site in southern beirut. six people were killed in the explosion. the blast happened in an area which is the strong hold of the shiite armed group hezbollah. it is the fourth attack in lebanon in two months. in november 23rd people were killed after two bombs went off outside of the iranian embassy in beirut. now dna tests have identified the man responsible for that explosion.

many wonder what will apiece riek machar to stop the fighting. other than sharing. >> more fighting is expected in bor. where the government sent thousands of troops to retake it from the rebels in full control. >> government troops are on their way to bor, the capital of jonglei state. it is an important town in the conflict. keith jennings the southern director nor the national democratic institute explains why. >> it's an historical town, home of the s.p.l.a. founder and leader, the late dr john geray, and the home with the liberation movement was launched from. it's important for operation and logistical reasons, because there are a few roads necessary to travel through bor in order to get to unity state and to upper now. it's a strategic location in the upper now reason. >> syria missed a deadline to remove dangerous toxins. the u.n. and bashar al-assad say security concerns and bureaucracy are behind the delays. we have this report. >> this blast was caused by a barrel packed with explosives and dropped by a syrian aircraft, according to th

have died in weeks of fighting between government forces and rebels loyal to former vice president riek machar. >> i can confirm that both sides were involved with atrocities, and they're punishable under international law. there certainly would be differences in atrocities, but again, i'm just returning from beniu and bor. they are ghost towns. bentiu, there is no bentiu any more. when we were passing by we were passing by unburied bodies, and just driving from bentiu, we saw 15 to 20 bodies. we didn't go look into houses. we didn't look for bodies but they are there. >> well, the violence has forced thousands to flee. aid works say 80% of the refugees crossing south sudan into kenya are children. many are making the trip alone after losing their parents. >> reporter: when the fighting in south sudan got out of hand, he clutched his bible and ran. his father was shot dead. he continued walk and they brought him here to this camp. >> many people have died. it's only god leaving me alive because i was running, i don't know if i will survive. >> reporter: aid workers say 80% of those crossing th

this blanket accusation i don't like that both sides did this, >> what is the fate of riek machar in your view. >> what does high want. to become a president. he'll go through the process of transferring power. power can be transferred in a peaceful moons in the elections >> the people will have to say what do they want mykola azarov to do. if they call him and he accepts to come, and tell him what he has done, asking them to allow him to scan. i will also add my voice to the people. is >> a few days ag you accused them of acting like a parallel government. you said that the federal chairman ban ki-moon fell short of appointing his own president. why the tension between the international body. especially that the united nations has been a big suppo supporter. >> we are denying the member state, the united nations. >> there can be no way that we can be enemies to the united nations. it is the individuals that will be in the system of the u.n. who are creating programs. if we talk about what what is the role of the united nations, yes, they have the mandate, whether they are dealing wi

resident salva kiir who met ethiopian mediators monday and former vice president riek machar both agreeing to send presented to addis ababa. >> it was the other side putting toditions and refusing present a team of their own. >> machar, rejecting face-to-face talks, had been holding up the process, stating previously he was not prepared to sign a deal unless his demands were met. pressure from the west and east african leaders appears to have paid off. >> i see the commitment to send negotiators as a first step, but a very important step, toward achieving a cessation of hostilities and a beginning to negotiations. >> despite the apparent progress, fighting continues to rage on. says his forces are advancing on the q but, having taken a strategic town of bor - having taken juba, a strategic town of bor. ethnicg has been along lines since the 15th of december, and that is when kiir toused machar of trying establish a coup against him. >> troops have arrested a man in connection with the double suicide bombing of the iranian embassy in the -- they view. -- beruit. a group linked to al qaeda s

there is riek machar, a person who believes he should be running this country, pitted against salva kiirthe person who seemed to have liberated south sudan. the other tribes, dinkas and other tribes over south sudan. crimes committed over the past few weeks unless real reconciliations, it is hard to determine whether real peace will last very long. >>> conflict in south sudan, the image on the left was taken in december in the town of maon unity state, in the right, the few houses are all that's left to remain. the destruction of the entire village as it is burned down in unity state, the number of displaced people in the u.n. compound between late december and january. >>> india's supreme court has ordered a judge to investigate the gang remain of a 20-year-old woman from the state of west bengal. 13 suspects have been arrested. it is alleged that the rape was ordered by village elders, doctors treating the 20-year-old has given an update on her condition. >> she is normal she's taking her food and sustenance. >> north korea has called on the south korean government to call off military

forces loyal to president saltier -- president salva kiir and those loyal to former vice president riek machar. many are afraid to return despite the recent truce. >> when i talk to people they have completely lost faith. they want to go to other parts of south sudan or leave the country. >> on wednesday, amos is set to meet with president salva kiir to push for a durable peace deal and allow access to people still in need of assistance. >> the un security council has given european troops the right to use force to protect civilians in central african republic. the u.n. said some 10,000 troops are needed to restore order to end the deadly chaos in the country. a violent clashes between muslim and christian militias have left over 1000 dead since december. close to one million have been forced from their homes. acting at theus un security council -- backing at the un security council for the european union to intervene in the central african republic. it gives a mandate to around 500 european troops to support the french and african union troops already on the ground and to allow them to use fo

with his former deputy, and people here are wondering what else there might be that would apiece riek machar to accept to stop the fighting other than a power sharing. the talks are expected to begin. fighting in bor, the capital of the jonglei state, where the government sends thousands of troops to retake it from the rebels who are in full control. >> thousands of people have blocked the runway of the main international airport in the central african republic. the protesters are demanding more aid as a nearby makeshift refugee camp in bangui, home to 100,000 people. they are calling for the resignation of the president. violence putting christian militias and muslim fighters, which forced almost 800,000 people from their homes. >> syria has missed a united nations deadline to remove the most dangerous toxins in its chemical arsenal. ships are returning to port in cypress. >> the u.n. and bashar al-assad's government said security concerns are behind the delays. operations are on track to dismantle the program by june, despite missing the deadline. >> everything that syria needs to complete

in july, the president salva kiir who is dinka dismisshis vice president, riek machar, who is nuer. >> we need a cessation of hostilities. and that must happen now, people are suffering and dying. and we cannot afford to tolerate people suffering in that way. while politician he haggle. >> after several days of delay, boast parties finally meet at the table on sunday but history is not on their side. for generations, the two tribal groups have battled for dominance and resources. now, they have to decide how to bring peace to the world's youngest nation. that won'ting easy. jerald tan, al jazeera. >> fighting continues in the rebel held region of northern syria. for a third day groups of engaged in clashes with the slawmentiislamic state of iraq e levant. al jazeera nina hoder has that story. >> reporter: syria's armed opposition is pushing forward with what seems to be a coordinated offensive against the islamic state in iraq and the levant or isil. the group has been pushed out of its bases, against forces who believe isil hasn't been working for the forces of their revolution. crea

south sudan waged for weeks between forces loyal to president salva kiir and former vice president riek machar. >> the democratic republic of congo launched an offensive against the adf, who have been accused of abducting civilians. the allied democratic force, an army for the liberation of uganda are fighting to get rid of the ugandan government. they are joining perhaps for the president of the drc. they established bases inside its borders. the adf is one of several groups operating there. u.n. forces are working with the congolese government to bring them under control. malcolm webb was with a unit as they launched an attack on a rebel base. >> this congolese government convoy of heavy weaponry may team like no match, but the adf rebels are elusive. government troops never know when they'll be caught. the unit is deploying to attack a rebel base. they stopped to look for a firing position. people lived on the armed groups for decades. now the army is here, they attract a crowd. >> translation: before we suffered a lot. sometimes it was not safe to farm in the fields. now the big nurse in g

deputy president riek machar, who is in control of oil fields. >> more and more people are seeking refuge in u.n. camps. some had their homes burnt and looted. oil flows reduced by a fifth. the northern neighbour sudan is concerned that a prolonged war will destroy the economy. >> it's not easy to do business in khartoum's market. inflation made imported goods more expensive. in the crowd of shoppers, few are able to afford what they need. they've been under u.s. and the government is accused of mismanagement. 75% of sudan's production is lost to the state of south sudan, where the largest fields are. then came the world financial crisis. in 2011 national growth plunged from 7% to 1.3%. now south sudan made a softer flow of southern oil. this will cost sudan about 12% of its revenue by the release of the pipeline. the amount of oil which is moving in the pipeline, it used to be about 250,000 barrels a day. this has been reduced now to 200,000 barrel a day. without reaching to a political settlement. without reaching to a ceasefire. >> it is a shaky situation. >> there are other concern to

in 1991 he was shot when his town was attacked by fighters linked to riek machar.is face was disfigured. he is displaced, too squared to go back. >> today i can eat at the evening hour. some time getting water is difficult. getting water is difficult. >> with so many towns all but destroyed the u.n. realised that many of the displaced have nowhere to go back to. a longer term strategy is needed. >> the initial plan is three months, we are looking to expand it and recognising that there'll be significant needs in the country for six months and a year in the future. a criticise that people have is it doesn't solve the root of the problem. while the people are happy that food arrived, unless their towns are rebuilt and security ensteward, they will be dependent on handouts for a long time to come. >> now, a u.s. navy sner is to take over as head of the national security agency. vice admiral took the top job at a time when the n.s.a. is under scrutiny. leaks from edward snowden revealed the extent of the electronic surveillance. the agency has come under fire >> the u.

it resulted in a split of s.p.l.a., the army in south sudan, and it continued with riek machar taking key towns in south sudan. >> can you bring us now to where you are today. you are in ethiopia. delegates have been meeting to come to an agreement. where do the talks stand today? >> well, there's nothing much happening at the hotel, the sheraton, behind me. the decision by the mediators to try and get a quick ceasefire agreement before any other issue is discussed seems to have put the rebels at a place where they say now they cannot find the draft agreement that has been floated by the rebels. they say they have referred the mediators for former vice president riek machar who is currently will an undisclosed location in south sudan. the mediators are there. nothing much is happening here, and the mediators, the rebels are saying they'll only sign the agreement if and when their members who are arrested - senior political prisoners in juba - are released >> i want to go back to something we talked about earlier. we have reports that the u.s. could be considering targeted sanctions du

state of emergency in two parts of the country affected by fighting where rebels sympathetic to riek machar have taken control of large areas, including bor. government forces are preparing a counter attack to take it back. both sides have sent people to negotiate. >> the former vice president ruled out a power sharing arrangement with his rival. >> 1,000 have been filled in south sudan. an american couple have been in the country on a mission, taking care of 10 orphans. they are now trying to get the children out of harm's way. >> they went to south sudan to help others. they are the ones that need a hand. kim campbell, husband and two daughters have been taking care of south sudan orphans for two years. the missionaries are from nebraska, and the missionaries look after orphans. they are two miles from the u.n. camp. the heavy fighting made it difficult to get to the camp. >> we tried to leave the compound. whether they were firing to scare us, or at us, or at other soldiers, there was gunfire. >> it took two attempts to get to the u.n. face. now that they made it to the base, a heart bre

in july the president, who is dinka, dismissed his deputy riek machar who is from the nuer community.e weeks ago rebels supporting the sacked president began fighting for control of state capitals. the violence spread across the country. >> we need a cessation of hostilities. that must happen now. people are suffering and dying. we cannot afford to tolerate people suffering in that way, while politicians haggle. >> after several days of delay, both parties meet at the table on sunday. but history is not on their side. for generations the two tribal groups battled for dominance and resources and now have to decide how to brink peace to the world's youngest nation. that will not be easy. >> thousands of boys from rural areas in senna gal are sent to the capital. instead of being cared for many face neglect. we have this report from dakar. >> at this time of the morning most children are getting ready to go to school. these boys are preparing to go out and beg on the streets. getting a bowl is crucial. they live in an islamic school. the parents sent them here. institutionalized begging

the president salva kiir who is dinka, dismissed his vice president, riek machar. who is nuer. >>> people are suffering and dying. we cannot afford to tolerate people siferg in that way by politicians handle. >> after several days of delay, both parties finally meet on sunday. but history is not on their side. for generations the two tribal groups have battled for dominance and force he. now they have to decide how to bring peace to the world's youngest nation. that will not be easy, jerald tan, al jazeera. >>> five story building was under construction when it caved in. emergency crews are still sifting through rubble to search for survivors. >> stocking up on supplies after forecast of more heavy snow and bitter weather. the region has experienced a severe snow storm after are frigid temperatures have taken place. >>> parts of the southwest have been hit hard by storms that have left homes and roads inundated. >>> record go ahead from tewksbury. >> heavy rain and gale force winds striking hard. the deluge and destruction was not as bad as many forecasters predict

. >> the release was part of an agreement, and rebels loyal to former vice president riek machar. >> we don't think that our president is our enemy, not at all. we have his colleagues, we are his comrades. >> reporter: the break through on the political front, on the ground nothing has changed. several thousand have been killed. and fighting in certain areas continues. in bor, government forces backed by ugandan troops still battle, and the detainees in south sudan face prospect of trials. >> jumal, tell us more of what you've seen. >> reporter: well stephen earlier today we went to the border with uganda why people we have been fighting. it's a picture we've seen around the country. despite the political developments in terms of the release of the prisoners it has not meant much in terms of improving the lives of over 500,000 people who no longer have a home to go back to, many of them. it has not done much in bringing to justice those who have killed several thousand people. that's why the cautious optimism in terms of the political development, there is a realization that the prob

it seems very particular that on the one hand the president has accused riek machar of attempted coupnd committing crimes, buts wills saying any political processes must be done with him on site. >> as the president has said before, and time and again there can be no military victory, military solution to the problem. at the end of the day there has to be a political solution that is now one-month-old. as you just finished the press conference, the road map that was mentioned, it has to be unconditional, and humanitarians access to the effected people, and among them also the president has also given the point of grand national peace and political dialogue because at the end of the day it must be the political dialogue of the people of south sudan that can bring peace. >> it seems that what is taking place how is that the government forces together with the supreme court from the ugandan office now you chase out the rebel fighters, now you tell them to come and discuss. it's a strange situation because there is no political gain here for the other side. >> the rebels, whenever they ge

a member of the negotiating team for riek machar is in addis abba da and says there are significant problemso be overcome. >> we did not refuse a ceasefire. we put out conditions - the government cannot be committed to a normal ceasefire, they will not be monitored. it could be used as a lull for government raids. the current president was elected before south sudan gained separation from the north. there was a consensus that he stays at president as long as the party and people are united. under current circumstances he raises doubts about his legitimacy. the two parties are looking at ways to put forward a government by both sides. >> large areas of jonglei and unity states are in the hands of rebels. there's a growing humanitarian crisis there. mohammed adow has this report from south sudan. >> marching to war. the conflict in south sudan conditions, the men and women are preparing themselves for the battle ahead, "we are coming, we are united and we will defeat you" they sing. the government soldiers are preparing for the front lines. fighting is going on in three different fronts. milit

the conflict in south sudan began last month after president kiir accused his vice president riek machar of attempted coup. >>> governor christie apologized again. >> last week i tested this administration. mistakes were clearly made. as a result we let down the people who we're entrusted to serve. i know our citizens deserve better, much better. >> john terret is live for us where the governor delivered his state of the state address, and john, good to see you. governor christie got the name, but he did apologize to the people of his state of what's going on. take a live of what else he had to say. >> now, i'm the governor, i'm ultimately responsible for what happens on my watch, both good and bad. without a doubt we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries to insure thatome into play. >> j.t. there, is a new twist i understand in the bri >> yes, all right, john terret for news trenton, new jersey. >>> oklahoma's ban on marriage between same-sex couples is unconstitutional. that's according to a judge. the judge issued a stay on his decision based on the situation in utah. the same

government forces have regained a northern town held by rebels loyal to the former vice president riek machareny. it recaptured a crucial oil-producing region. oil production has been down some 20% since the beginning of the conflict. so what is the latest you are hearing? did rebel forces withdraw ahead of that government advance? >> reporter: government officials saying they are very happy. they are saying this could give them an advantage at the peace talks happening in neighboring ethiopia. people were saying it seemed the rebels didn't put up much of a fight when the army came into the town. the key people are waiting to see is what will his next move actually be? another concern for the go of course is it's all very well to retake this area, convincing people that it's safe to go home is another challenge. a lot of people are waiting for any plane to come and get them. people don't feel safe enough to go back to their homes. >> is this move, though, going to give any impetus to those ongoi ongoing peace talks? >> it might, because it means maybe the government has the upper hand. these

>> one we have been facing extreme resistance from the forces of riek machar, white army, and the forces that defected from the spla, but the forces have been pushing them since yesterday and we have been giving ground and we are confident that we will take the town of bor back to the government control. >> sir, there are talks ongoing in ethiopia by both sides. what more can you tell us about any developments there now that both sides are sitting at the table and talking to each other directly? >> i'm sorry, i'm not qualified to talk about those talks, because that diplomaticness offensive has people that can talk on their behalf. but we wish it will be successful. >> if that is the case, sir, then have your political leaders told you to act in any other way to try and resolve the obvious dispute between government forces and rebel forces? >> the role of the army is to protect the integrity and -- integrity of the country and protect the constitution. we'll continue to fight the rebels that have been telling the world they are coming to the south south sudan, protecting the constitution

the conflict raged for weeks between the president salva kiir and former vice president riek machar. >> a husband and wife are right to bring back their adopted children from democratic republic of congo. it has suspended foreign adoptions leaving parents with little to do but hope and wait. >> alaina carol has everything ready for their two adopted boys. their room is filled with shirts and shoes and a cute stall. no one is here to use them. >> it breaks my heart. i want to adopt as many as i can. they have nobody to love them. >> jason carol left for the democratic republic of congo in november, thinking he would come home with their sons. months later they are 7,000 miles from home. elaina asked to hide the boys faces. justin has missed a lot. the biggest change, their new daughter born bon november 25th. she doesn't look the same. she's two months old almost, and is changing and growing. she's out of her newborn stuff. it's getting hard. here is the problem - last year the democratic republic of congo suspended exit permits for families with adopted congolese children, even those

the fighting started, he defected from the army joining the forces loyal to the vice president riek machar. they were in control of bentiu. government troops moved in and pushed them out. they think the rebels are heading to bor, where there is fighting in jonglei state. thousands have been displaced. civilians and soldiers have been killed. civilians that run away from the fighting are sleeping at the u.n. base. they are too afraid to come back into the town >> meanwhile nearby in the central african republic tension remains high as a new government takes shape. widespread looting and attacks in bangui left 13 dead. ousted president michel djotobia reportedly living in exile. barnaby phillips reports joy over his departure gave way to violence. >> in the backstreets of bangui fires are smouldering. an armed mob came into this mosque in daylight, smashed it up, wounded several people and took whatever they wanted. they promised to come back to ransack it a second time. to the people that live here, they say they will not run away. >> translation: where would be go, we are staying because w

the president, dinka, dismissed his deputy, riek machar, from the nuer community.ee weeks ago rebels supporting the sacked president began fighting for control of state capitals. the violence spread across the country. >> we need is cessation of hostilities. it must happen now. we cannot afford to tolerate people suffering in that way while politicians handle. >> after several days of delay. both parties meet at the table on sunday. history is not on their side. >> for generations two tribal groups battled for dominance and resources. now they have to decide how to bring peace to the world's youngest nation. that will not be easy. >> in china a case of h 7-n 9 bird flu was confirm. the patient is an 86-year-old. they can buy chickens at the local market to be infected. a temporary closure of poultry markets has been ordered for the next three months. >> still ahead - the question paper or plastic is a thing of the past in a big u.s. city. details ahead. plus... >> an airboat ride through the swamps is synonymous for the florida everglades. airboating is phasing out

. >> in july the president salva kiir, and a dinka, dismissed his it deputy, riek machar, who is fromhe nuer community. three weeks ago rebels supporting the sacked deputy president began to fight for control of the capitals. the violence spread across the country. >> we need a cessation of hospital ilties. it -- hostilities, it must happen now. we cannot afford to tolerate people suffering in that way while toll pirns haggle. >> -- politicians haggle. >> after several days of delay, politicians meet at the table. history is not on their side. for generations the two groups battled for dominance and resources. now they have to decide how to bring peace to the world's youngest nation. that will not be easy. >> earlier i spoke with omar ishmael with the center for american progress about whether there's hope the talks about lead to peace in south sudan. >> there is no way out of this onflict through -- conflict through war. they have to come to terms with the political and refugee situation that is happening, and the displacement in the country, according to the u.n. figures, are reachi

they're waiting to see what riek machar's next move will be. another part of the government will be facing people and telling them when it will be safe to return. people are waiting to get out. some say they've been there for days, but they don't feel safe. thousands are sleeping in u.n. bases and makeshift camps across the country because they feel the violence is still escalating and they're too scaring to home. in juba people are saying even if the violence actually ends there is no guarantee to thanksgiving it will last long. they've seen this kind of thing before, it's a temporary cease-fire and temporary peace, and then violence erupts all over again. people say that real issues need to be addressed. and until that is done, if a peace deal isn't decided in ethiopia, it will only an temporary one. >> a spokesman for the south sudan knees rebels spoke to reporters saying government forces have turned to looting in bintu. >> the forces entered bintu town. and the information i'm receiving from the ground is that the government forces are gun

there's rumours that forces loyal to former fingerprint riek machar may be heading to the capital. what do you know about this? >> that is not direct. after failing to capture juba and overthrowing the government. they withdrew. they have been declaring that they wanted to come. they tried to overtake by force, but the rup ours are not true. >> where is the situation. >> they are fighting these rebels that are trying to come towards juba. fighting has been on and off. they still hold bor. >> when i was in bor, thousands of civilians were in the compound. are they being affected by the fighter. >> definitely. concentration of military people in the camp - it's not good. >> last time you and i spoke, the army managed to recapture bor from the rebels. how did you lose it? >> they mobilized the white army and used human waves, our soldiers are not acquainting or fighting civilians. sol of them are not armed -- some of them are not armed. the army was engulfed in that mess. they need to organise and the forces pulled out to organise to fight in a better way. >> thousands have been displ

in two states jonglei and unity, both dominated by forces sympathetic to ousted vice president riek machar. that includes the city of bor, where government troops are organising a fight. 200,000 south sudan have been forced from their homes. representatives from both sides have arrived in ethiopia from ceasefire talks. thousands are feared dead since fighting broke out three years ago. >> some american missionaries are trying to find a way to get out of south sudan. >> the americans can leave, but the children lack the proper paperwork to get out. we have more. >> they wint to south sudan to help others. they are the ones that need a hand. kim campbell, her husband and two daughters have taken care of the or fans for two years. their orphanage is two miles from the u.n. group. heavy fighting made it difficult to get to the camp. >> we tried to leave the compound once. whether they were firing to scare us or firing at us or other soldiers - there was gunfire going off as we were headed in their directions, and missiles flew over our head and we ran back to the compound. it took two attempts

the representatives of riek machar, and his sacked deputy agreed to meet, but neither said when the fighting would end. >> rebels say they are fighting troops in ahmed al borei. the rebels say they are advancing on juba. the government denies that, saying they'll soon retake bor. >> the united nations says nearly a million people have been displaced by fighting in the central african republic. a fifth of the population is homeless. >> the violence is hampering the work of aid agencies. >> doctors without borders, based at the capital's airport are scaling back efforts. that leaves thousands of civilians sheltering at the airport without aid. >> translation: we suspended our activities this week because there was a lot of violence around the camp and it was dangerous for the team that worked here. in the camp, in the course of a normal day's work, there were many patients that go around and it was dangerous for them. for the doctors, for the nurses for all the staff. >> you are watching al jazeera, the newshour from doha. i'm steven cole. still to come - security on the streets agrees in dhak

in july, the president salva kiir who is dinka dismissed the vice president riek machar who is from the nuer community. rebels supporting the sacked deputy president fought for control. the violence spread across the country. >> we need a cessation of hospital ilties. that must happen now. people are suffering and dying. we went afford to tolerate people suffering in that way, why politicians haggle. >> after several days of delay both parties meet at the table on sunday, but history is not on their side. for generations the two tribal group battled for dominance and resources. they have to decide how to bring peace to the world's youngest nation. that will not be easy. >> let's dive into this with omash ishmael with the center for american progress, with us live from massachusetts. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> the first big question, the talks have been long in coming, will they lead to peace? >> i do hope so. there's no way out of this conflict through the war. they have to come to terms with the political situation and with the situation that is happening

they will not share power with riek machar.eople are wondering what else might cause riek machar to stop the fighting other than a power sharing. are the talks expected to begin, more fighting in bor, the capital of the jonglei state, where the government sent thousands of troops to retake it from the rebels in full control. >> that was mohammed adow in juba. tough talk from vladimir putin. paying respects to two suicide bombings in a city of volgograd. later in a televised address. he vowed to annihilate terrorists. the remarks were the public comments that killed 34 people. putin ordered tighter security nationwide for the upcoming olympics in sochi. >> the new year brings new threats from north korean leader kim jong un. he called for better relations with south korea, but in the next breath said the u.s. would not be spared from a nuclear disaster if there's another korean war. there are 20,000 troops to defend against the west. kim referred to his uncle as factual dismissed. >> a team of al jazeera's journalists are starti

in july, the president, who is dinka, dismissed his deputy, riek machar, who is from the nuer community. rebels supporting the president began fighting for control of capital. the violence spread. >> we need a cessation of hostilities. it must suffer now. people are suffering and dying. we cannot afford to tolerate people suffering in that way. politicians haggled. after several days of delay, both parties meet at the table. history is not on their side. for generations, the two tribal groups battle for resources. they have to decide how to bring peace to the world's youngest nation. that will not be easy. >> joining us now to discuss the talks is omar ishmael, policy advisor, for an organization that is to end genocide. good morning. does the slow start to the talks foreshadow the outcome. since it has taken this many days and deaths to get to that point, is that an indication of just how bit are the battle will be once we get to the negotiating table. >> that is true. if >> the start of the negotiation is an indication that the negotiation is about negotiation. or they are walking abo