The moves come after five days of intense fighting between forces loyal to the president and those aligned with Machar killed more than 300 people.
Machar is now the country's first vice president under an August peace agreement that ended a two-year civil war that began in 2013, killing tens of thousands and displacing more than 2 million people.
The fighting that began Thursday and lasted through the weekend caused some residents to question whether their hard-won independence was worth it.
"I am sure that if the South Sudanese were given a second chance to choose between having their own country and remaining (with) Sudan, they would think twice," said Gabriel John, 28, a businessman in the capital of Juba.
"They thought things would be different," he added. "I feel that worst days are ahead of us."
The cease-fire comes after Kiir’s forces overran an opposition base in Juba and killed 35 bodyguards of Machar, according to opposition officials, the Associated Press reported. Government forces also attacked a United Nations peacekeeping base and camp for civilians who fled the violence.
In response to the fighting, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon called on the Security Council to place an immediate arms embargo on South Sudan.
Hamed Ali, who sells groceries and other items, said he spent money to import goods from Uganda and Dubai for his shop. He lost his products when the civil war began. He hopes that doesn't happen again.
"I struggled after the (peace) agreement and bought my goods again — little did I know fighting was to resume again," he said. "I pray to God that they don't break my shop. I pray that the leaders end the war soon."
Despite attempts to de-escalate the situation in South Sudan, people like Reech Malual, 28, believe the two leaders need to be held accountable for the recent bloodshed.
"I am sure that this nonsense could not have occurred if (Machar) and Kiir had effective command of their forces or guards, who are wild and unprofessional," said Malual, a media consultant here. Malual said he had been displaced by the fighting to a suburb of Juba, suffering from food and water shortages.
John added that regional authorities also shared blame for the conflict.
"The incompetence of South Sudanese leadership and regional competing interests caused this violence, a total betrayal to South Sudan," he said.
Mary Nyabac, 32, a mother of five, was making her way to a refugee camp in Uganda over fears the situation would worsen.
"We thought there was not going to be another war after the peace agreement was made and (Machar) came back to Juba with his forces," Nyabac said. "Now we are in a deep fear that this country will not be stable again. Only God knows how this country will turn out."
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon