The South Sudanese government said Monday that the time for dialogue with rebels had expired, threatening a military action to end rebellion in the nascent state.
Information Minister Michael Makoy told Anadolu Agency that his government would resort to military action to end the rebellion in the country.
He accused sacked vice president Riek Machar of rejecting dialogue and refusing to end hostilities.
The minister warned that the situation was getting worse as thousands of militiamen loyal to Machar march towards Bor, the capital of oil-rich Jonglei State, now under the control of government forces.
South Sudan has been shaken by violence since mid-December, when President Salva Kiir accused Machar of staging a failed coup attempt.
A subsequent government crackdown landed many of Machar's supporters in jail, but the former VP managed to flee to South Sudan's Jonglei, a stronghold of his Nuer tribe.
Earlier today, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni reiterated readiness to send Ugandan troops to South Sudan to fight the rebels.
"We gave Machar four days to respond [to the ceasefire offer]," he said asserted.
On Friday, leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) gave a four-day ultimatum for South Sudan's rivals to engage in dialogue to resolve the country's crisis.
"And if he doesn't, we shall have to go for him, all of us," Museveni thundered.
By Atem Simon
englishnews@aa.com.tr
