Troubled talks to end more than a year of fighting in South Sudan broke up without a deal on Friday, prompting the mediator to say leaders on both sides were failing in their duty to find peace.
The adjournment was the latest impasse in negotiations over the world's youngest country -- where a political row between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar triggered a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people.
Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia's prime minister and the chairman of regional body Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which is hosting the talks in Addis Ababa, said he had asked both sides to offer compromises rather than just repeat their old positions.
Kiir and Machar had said they wanted peace, but others "continue to beat the drums of war," he said.
His comments echoed widespread frustration at the lack of progress in South Sudan, an oil-producing country which seceded from Sudan in 2011 with promises of good will and support from most world powers.
But in another possible sign of disillusionment over the peace efforts, a confidential African Union report seen by Reuters this week suggested both Kiir and Machar be barred from any transitional government and the country effectively be placed under the continental body's control.
"The gap is still very wide, but we are capable of narrowing and bringing peace to our country," said Machar spokesman Dhieu Mathok.
Diplomats in Addis Ababa said the latest talks were held up by disagreement over the structure of a future government, and how much power would be allocated to each side.
Poorest Countries In The World: South Sudan On Top With $492 GDP Per Capita 21 Killed In Attack by South Sudanese On The Eve Of Pope's Visit 6 South Sudan Journalists Arrested Over Viral Video Of President Wetting Himself Tear Gas Fired After Kolkata Protest Against Doctor's Rape-Murder Turns Violent 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing "Freedom Fighters Would Not Have Dreamt...": AAP's Atishi On Arvind Kejriwal 5 Big Highlights Of PM Modi's Independence Day Speech In Touch With India Over Bangladesh Political Crisis: US State Department Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.