The US government has condemned the attack by the SPLA in Opposition forces on the positions of the government forces in Nasir town of Upper Nile State.

On Sunday, Nasir town was attacked by forces believed to be from the SPLA in-Opposition.

The Deputy Spokesperson in the Department of State, Marie Harf, urged both parties to immediately end all such attacks and fully adhere to the May and June commitments to cease hostilities.

“With famine conditions looming in some conflict-affected areas of South Sudan as early as August 2014, it is increasingly urgent that both parties immediately recommit themselves to inclusive, political negotiations,” Harf said in a statement.

She urged both President Salva Kiir and the leader of the SPLM-SPLA-in Opposition, Dr. Riek Machar, to reaffirm their commitment to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

She said such attacks are unacceptable and that perpetrators on both sides must be held accountable, and the cycle of violence that has plagued South Sudan for too long must come to an end.

She also said it is necessary that both parties negotiate in good faith under the auspices of IGAD, and the international community to support the peace process.

“We remind both parties that President Obama’s April 3, 2014 Executive Order makes clear that those who threaten peace, commit human rights abuses, or obstruct humanitarian operations, risk U.S. sanctions,” she continued.