Violations reported after South Sudan ceasefire agreement signed

JUBA, South Sudan, May 12 (UPI) -- Both sides in the South Sudan conflict have accused the other of violating a ceasefire agreement singed Friday in Ethiopia.

President Salva Kiir announced Monday that due to the continued unrest, presidential elections -- scheduled for 2015 -- would not be held until 2017 or 2018 in order, he said, to allow time for reconciliation.

Friday's ceasefire meeting marked Kiir's first face-to-face meeting with his former deputy, turned rebel leader, Riek Machar since fighting began in December.

The ceasefire agreement was hailed as a potential breakthrough but soon after it was signed, the government and rebels reported violations.

South Sudanese army spokesperson Phillip Aguer told state-owned SSTV that "The rebel of Riek Machar attacked only six hours after the ceasefire came into effect."

Rebel spokesperson Brig. Gen. Lul Koang Ruai rejected the government's claim, blaming the initial violation on government forces. "The latest violation of the agreement to resolve the crisis in South Sudan shows that Kiir is either insincere or not in control of his forces."

Violence broke out in South Sudan on December 15, 2013, when President Kiir accused his fired deputy, Riek Machar, of attempting a coup. Fighting between forces loyal to the two men has continued since December, with the political dispute devolving into an ethnic conflict. The United Nations estimates that more than 3.7 million people are also at risk of severe food insecurity, disease, and malnutrition as an effect of the violence.