A leading commander of South Sudan's SPLA-In Opposition said that his side will not sign a peace agreement with the government until President Salva Kiir is removed from his post.

General Gathoth Gatkuoth Hothnyang, Deputy Chief of General Staff and a member of the SPLA-IO military command council, said: "Salva Kiir must go and face justice and accountability before signing a peace agreement."

"We vow to continue fighting Salva Kiir until he is completely out of power that he has misuse against our Nation," he added.

Gathoth said his side wants peace and respects the international peace negotiators, but "peace should come without Salva Kiir otherwise signing a bad peace is better to continue the war until we achieve our objective through barrel of our guns."

Gathoth was speaking while visiting wounded soldiers in Maiwut, South Sudan.