S. Sudan Orders Army to Stop Attacking Rebels

FILE - A South Sudanese government soldier stands guard in Malakal, Upper Nile State, South Sudan.

South Sudan's government said it ordered its army on Wednesday to halt attacking rebel forces for a month, amid mounting international pressure for a deal to end ethnic violence that risks spiralling into genocide.

South Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said that the government's commitment to honor a "month of tranquillity'' meant it could still fight back if attacked.

There was no immediate word from the rebels.