South Sudan rebel leader threatens fighting if president stays in power

South Sudan's rebel leader on Wednesday warned of renewed fighting, saying President Salva Kiir's new three-year mandate was illegal and the people had the right to "rise up and overthrow his regime" if he stayed on.

Riek Machar's statement was delivered in Nairobi as South Sudan's parliament speaker formally extended Kiir's term for three more years, as approved by lawmakers in a March vote.

Rebels say parliament did not have the right to take such action, in a nation that has been mired in conflict since December 2013.

"Should President Kiir remain adamant and refuse to hand over power to the people, then the citizens have every right to rise up and overthrow his regime," Machar said in the statement made on a visit to Nairobi.

He said Kiir's term ended from midnight on July 8.

Conflict in the world's newest nation, which marks four years of independence on Thursday, flared after a long-running power struggle that led to Kiir sacking Machar as his deputy in mid-2013.

More than a year and a half of on-off talks in Ethiopia have failed to end fighting that has killed thousands of people and driven more than 2.2 million from their homes, many of them fleeing to neighboring states, including Kenya.

Reuters