The government of the United States has “condemned in the strongest terms” the South Sudanese government offensives in Bentiu, Nasser and elsewhere and also criticized the government’s negotiators at peace talks in Addis Ababa for ‘unwillingness to engage constructively’.

Secretary of State John Kerry stated in a press release, “The United States condemns in the strongest terms recent offensives by South Sudanese government forces against opposition-held positions in Nassir, Bentiu, and elsewhere in Unity and Jonglei states.”

Kiir released a statement soon after the attacks emphasizing that he had not broken his pledge to Kerry, whom he met last Friday. 

But the US official called the attacks a “blatant violation” of the 23 January ceasefire agreement and noted that the attacks “contradict commitments President Kiir has made in recent days.”

“We call on all parties to re-dedicate themselves to the agreement, not just in words, but in actions, and to halt all military offensives,” he added.

The United States government official also voiced “disappointment with the government delegation’s unwillingness to engage constructively in recent rounds of talks.”

Reuters reports today that the United States now expects to impose sanctions on individuals on both sides of the conflict, as had been earlier threatened.

An official in the US government who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed the sanctions would be announced “in the coming days” and would involve freezing assets under US authority.

Other sources confirmed that the United States had already made a decision to sanction several individuals and it was now a question of timing.

The South Sudanese government, for its part, responded to criticism of the latest offensives saying that the attacks on Bentiu and Nasser came only after rebels “deserted their positions” and noted that the attacks aimed to “defend and protect the civil population.”

“The President of the Republic of South Sudan appeals to the civil population to remain calm as the government continues to stabilize the security situation in the country,” reads a statement dated 5 May from the Office of the President.

The statement added that Kiir remains committed to respect the ceasefire agreement and to respect “his pledge to Regional and International Partners, especially United States Secretary of State to restrain the SPLA forces from unprovoked combat.”

Photo: John Kerry meets Salva Kiir in Juba, 2 May 2014