The government says it should not be held accountable for the delay in the peace process. It says they have made a lot of compromises in the talks.

The UN Security Council has approved a resolution to impose sanctions on South Sudan if the warring parties fail to reach a peace agreement.

President Salva and Kiir and Dr Riek Machar met last week in Addis Ababa and disagreed on power sharing, the reintegration of forces and system of governance during the proposed transitional period.

The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Peter Bashir Gbandi, told diplomats yesterday that the government is not responsible for the delay in the peace talks.

“We are urging the diplomatic community in South Sudan to also understand our part, our side of the story, because the government should not be held accountable for whatever happens because we have given a lot of concessions in terms of time to peace,” Mr Bahir said.

“As a government, we believe all those who are dying on the two sides are our people, and we really need to achieve peace soon, not later and we want to have constructive engagement with them and the notion of sanctions will not help South Sudan.”

A delegation from the United Nations Security Council is visiting Addis Ababa this week to consult with the African Union on the South Sudan peace process.