Kiir has ordered the entire army "to stop shooting and remain in their barracks where they are, but they can shoot in self-defence once attacked," spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told AFP on Friday.
Both sides accused each other of launching attacks on Wednesday as Kiir signed a peace deal aimed at ending the 20-month long civil war in which tens of thousands of people have been slaughtered.
The accord, already signed by rebel chief Riek Machar, gave a 72-hour deadline for a permanent ceasefire, which comes into effect around sunset on Saturday.The United Nations Security Council on Friday called for the ceasefire to begin immediately and threatened sanctions against those who undermine the accord.
Late on Thursday, rebels accused the army of attacking their positions in the northern battleground state of Unity. The army did not respond, but has previously dismissed rebel claims as lies, or accused them of launching attacks.
Facing the threat of international sanctions, Kiir signed the deal but annexed a list of reservations that he said would have to be addressed for the deal to take hold in the world's newest nation.
Massacres, rape, atrocities
Machar has said the reservations cast "doubts" on the government's commitment.
The Security Council has given Kiir until September 1 to get fully behind the agreement or face possible sanctions, and the United States has circulated a draft resolution that would impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on those who undermine peace efforts.
Two powerful rebel generals, Peter Gadet and Gathoth Gatkuoth, split from Machar earlier this month, accusing him of seeking power for himself.
The government has said the split is a key reason they doubt the peace deal can be effective. Ateny said rebels must also stop fighting.
"We expect also Riek Machar to do the same with his forces," Ateny said, but added that as rebels were "no longer one entity", it "remains to be seen how Machar will control his forces".
The signed deal gives the rebels the post of first vice president, which means that Machar would likely return to the job he was sacked from in July 2013, an event which put the country on the path to war later that year.
But the 12-page government list of reservations of the peace deal calls this a "humiliation" and a "reward for rebellion", and insists the post of first vice-president must be on equal footing with the current vice-president, whose post remains.
Fighting erupted in December 2013 when Kiir accused Machar of planning a coup, unleashing a wave of killings that split the country along ethnic lines. At least seven ceasefires have already been agreed and then shattered within days or even hours.
Over two million people have fled their homes from a war marked by ethnic killings, gang rapes and child soldier recruitment. Some 200,000 terrified civilians are sheltering inside UN bases.
Under the peace deal, a "transitional government of national unity" will take office within three months.
Newer articles:
- A Peace Plea for South Sudan - 29/08/2015 14:24
- Implementation of S. Sudan Peace Agreement Begins - 29/08/2015 11:48
- South Sudan rebels, army trade blame for fresh fighting - 29/08/2015 11:35
- S Sudan govt. accuses rivals over truce - 29/08/2015 08:47
- South Sudan Fighting Persists as Cease-Fire Approaches: UN - 29/08/2015 08:40
Older news items
- Cautious UN welcome for South Sudan peace deal - 28/08/2015 21:22
- South Sudan: Was the Peace Deal the Easy Part? - 28/08/2015 15:03
- Hope for Justice for South Sudan - 28/08/2015 10:33
- South Sudan businesses struggle in a 'war economy' - 28/08/2015 03:57
- South Sudan rebels, army again accuse each other of attacks after pact - 28/08/2015 02:29
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan to Form National Revenue Authority Within Six Months - 23/07/2013 05:23
- South Sudan: Humanitarian Access Snapshot (June 2019) - 17/07/2019 05:15
- Sudanese army repulses fresh rebel attack in South Kordofan - 05/05/2013 20:20
- South Sudan: Back to War - Again - 30/10/2014 13:56
- Family, journalism community demand justice for journalist killed in South Sudan - 27/08/2019 12:17
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61758 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22308 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21496 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19063 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18818 times