South Sudan president warns new sanctions escalate current tension

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Saturday warned against imposition of new sanctions on his country, saying any sanctions would only further escalate the current tension.

"At this time, discussion of sanctions is unproductive," said Kiir in a statement released by his office.

"Sanctions will only serve to fan the flames of the current tensions. They will neither speed up dialogue nor feed and employ the people of South Sudan," he added.

Last week, the UN Security Council (UNSC) condemned the escalating violence in South Sudan, expressing willingness to impose sanctions against those who threaten peace and stability in the newly-born state.

South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, plunged into violence in December 2013, when fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors headed by his former deputy Riek Machar.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out war, with violence taking on an ethnic dimension that pitted the president's Dinka tribe against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.

The clashes have left thousands of South Sudanese dead and forced around 1.9 million people to flee their homes.