The U.S Secretary of State is calling for the immediate end to the conflict in South Sudan.

John Kerry says all military offensives by both the government of South Sudan and the SPLM-in Opposition must stop.

He said both sides must adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities agreement signed in January.

A statement from the U.S Department of State says Mr. Kerry spoke on the phone with President Salva Kiir, and appreciated the release of the 4 SPLM leaders who had been in detention since December.

Mr. Kerry condemned the recent ‘violence in Bentiu and Bor and the deliberate targeting of civilians by armed groups on both sides of the conflict’.

He encouraged President Kiir to ensure full and unlimited access throughout South Sudan for UNMISS, the African Union Commission of Inquiry, and the IGAD Monitoring and Verification Mechanism, said the statement.

The statement also said both Secretary Kerry and President Kiir expressed their support for the IGAD-led peace process in the Ethiopian Capital, Addis Ababa.