South Sudan President Salva Kiir has signed peace deal but after 20 months of conflict many doubt agreement will hold.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has signed a peace deal that it is hoped will end 20 months of war.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and brought the world's newest country to the brink of famine and economic collapse.
 
Rebel leader Riek Machar signed the deal last week, but President Kiir had, until Wednesday, expressed reservations.
 
The agreement calls for an immediate end to the fighting and the creation of a demilitarised zone in the capital Juba.

It also calls for a transitional power-sharing government, with Machar returning as South Sudan's vice president.
  
But can the two rivals work together again? And could the deal restore peace in South Sudan?
 
Presenter: Laura Kyle
 
Guests:
 
Casie Copeland - South Sudan Analyst from the International Crisis Group.
 
Michael White - South Sudan Operations Adviser for Doctors Without Borders.

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Exclusive interview: Machar on South Sudan peace deal

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has signed a peace deal with rebels - more than a week after initially refusing to do so - at a ceremony in the capital Juba attended by African regional leaders.

Rebel leader Riek Machar signed the accord in the Ethiopian capital last week, but Kiir had said on the same day that his government needed more time to study the text.

In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Machar told Al Jazeera that the agreement includes several reforms, including the reconsitution of the army, security forces and the police.

"There were reasons for the war, and this peace agreement addresses these reasons," said Machar. "We hope nobody creates war again in South Sudan." 

Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.