Agreement with a SSDM in Jonglei state ends nearly three years of the rebellion that has left hundreds dead.

The deal with the South Sudan Democratic Movement was agreed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where South Sudan signed a ceasefire with rebels who took up arms after soldiers loyal to the president, Salva Kiir, clashed with those backing his former vice president, Riek Machar, in what the government dubbed a coup.

The ceasefire could help restore peace in Jonglei, which is Machar’s home state and where some of his ethnic Nuer had taken up arms after the December 15 deadly clashes in the capital Juba.

“The parties have reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire declaration unilaterally announced by the government of the Republic of South Sudan on January 6, 2014 and duly accepted by SSDM/A Cobra Faction on January 7, 2014,” the agreement read.

SSDM, whose military wing is called Cobra Faction, is led by David Yau Yau, who launched an armed rebellion against the government after losing an election in 2010 as an independent candidate for a seat in the Jonglei state assembly.

The peace accord says the supervision and monitoring of the implementation of the agreement will be carried out by the Church Leaders Mediation Initiative, which was instrumental in bringing the two sides to a negotiating table.

Read the full story on the Al Jazeera English website.