South Sudan: President Kiir 'will sign peace deal'

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir will sign a peace deal with rebels despite his "reservations" about it, his spokesman has assured the BBC.

Rebel leader Riek Machar signed the deal last week but Mr Kiir refused.

The deal is meant to end months of brutal civil war and would see Mr Machar return as vice-president.

Fighting between forces loyal to the two men has displaced over 2.2 million people and the UN has warned it will "act immediately" unless Mr Kiir signs.

In a Security Council briefing, the UN's humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien warned conditions were deteriorating, saying he heard multiple accounts of atrocities, including people being burned in their homes.

"The scope and level of cruelty that has characterised the attacks against civilians suggests a depth of antipathy that goes beyond political differences," he said.

A US-drafted resolution would impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions, unless Mr Kiir signs.

'In letter and spirit'

East African leaders have travelled to the capital, Juba, in anticipation of the deal finally being signed.

At least seven ceasefires have been agreed and then shattered - sometimes within hours - in the 20-month civil war. The war began after the president accused Mr Machar of attempting a coup.

South Sudan is the world's youngest state, having broken away from Sudan in 2011.

Image captionFighting has continued on the ground amid efforts to secure a peace deal

Image captionOver two million people have been displaced in the conflict

Mr Kiir would sign the agreement on Wednesday, his spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told the BBC - though he would also express his reservations about certain parts of the deal.

And once signed, he said, the agreement would be implemented.

"If our president signs it today we will have to implement the agreement in letter and in spirit," he said.

The signing will take place in front of regional leaders, including Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni.

Following Tuesday's UN Security Council briefing, the current president of the Security Council, Nigerian Ambassador Joy Ogwu, said the council was united over South Sudan.

"We all agree on measures to be taken that anybody who is found culpable will be held accountable," she said.

That warning was echoed by the African Union, which called on both sides to "commit to genuine reconciliation" and to "put the interests of South Sudan and its people above narrow interests".

Image captionSamantha Power is the United States Ambassador to the United Nations

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