The United States has warned that without a spirit of compromise and inclusion from participants in the South Sudan peace talks, the violence and the suffering would only continue.
That warning extends to the sitting government, which Washington recognized as party to the unrest and therefore vital to efforts to bring an end to the fighting.
Earlier this year the Trump administration demanded peace negotiations be taken seriously and a ceasefire respected.
After four years of civil war the United States says it is reviewing its long-held support for South Sudan.
The leader of the oil-rich nation, President Salva Kiir has received U.S. backing since the country won independence in 2011.
As the young nation descended into violence however, and with reports of human rights atrocities and mass displacement, Washington under President Donald Trump is reexamining its policy towards South Sudan.
The U.S. has donated almost US$3 billion in aid to the country since 2013, leverage it hopes will persuade Kiir to address the turmoil that has grown under his watch.
US ambassador Nikki Haley, who arrived in Juba earlier this year, said the U.S. will judge President Kiir and his government by their actions, not their words – warning that U.S. patience is running out and additional measures against the South Sudanese government will be pursued if the violence against the civilian population continues and efforts towards peace are resisted.
The U.S. has already imposed sanctions on a number of high-ranking Sudanese officials it accuses of threatening the stability of the nation.
