South Sudan peace talks canceled

South Sudanese rebels boycotted peace talks with government representatives and mediators, officials said Tuesday. Regional mediators for the talks canceled the meetings Monday after rebel representatives failed to show up, the Wall Street Journal reported. A spokesman for Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry said the resumption of talks is expected to take place before the end of the week. Rebels accused the government of reneging on last month's cease-fire deal and failing to request the withdrawal of Ugandan troops from the country's war zones, the newspaper said. Rebels are also asking the government to release political prisoners, rebel spokesman Taban Deng Gai said. Analysts said they doubted the resumption of talks after Ugandan-backed government troops had key battlefield victories in recent weeks. "You don't expect the government side to show commitment especially now that they have an upper hand on the front line," said Angelo Izama, an analyst at Uganda-based think tank Fanaka Kwawote.