Kerry says South Sudan leaders risk sanctions if peace deal fails

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, and his rival Riek Machar, would face individual sanctions if they do not deliver on a peace deal.

"We're very serious about that," Kerry told a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on the State Department's budget. "This is a critical moment for South Sudan's survival and it's important for people who hold themselves up to be leaders to actually lead," he said.

Both sides in the South Sudanese conflict, under pressure from Washington, the United Nations and other powers, signed an initial peace deal in August and agreed to share out ministerial positions in January. But that deal has broken down repeatedly. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Eric Walsh)