Politics
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir will sign a peace deal with rebels despite his "reservations" about it, his spokesman has assured the BBC.
Rebel leader Riek Machar signed the deal last week but Mr Kiir refused. The deal is meant to end months of brutal civil war and would see Mr Machar return as vice-president.
Fighting between forces loyal to the two men has displaced over 2.2 million people and the U.N. has warned it will "act immediately" unless Mr Kiir signs. In a Security Council briefing, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien warned conditions were deteriorating, saying he heard multiple accounts of atrocities, including people being burned in their homes.
"The scope and level of cruelty that has characterised the attacks against civilians suggests a depth of antipathy that goes beyond political differences," he said.
A U.S.-drafted resolution would impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions, unless Mr Kiir signs.
East African leaders have travelled to the capital, Juba, in anticipation of the deal finally being signed.
At least seven ceasefires have been agreed and then shattered - sometimes within hours - in the 20-month civil war. The war began after the president accused Mr Machar of attempting a coup.
South Sudan is the world's youngest state, having broken away from Sudan in 2011.
