South Sudan's President Salva Kiir called on arch-rival Riek Machar on Thursday to meet for talks to salvage peace after days of intense gun battles in the capital Juba.

"I don't want any more bloodshed in South Sudan," Kiir said, speaking in public for the first time since fighting erupted on Friday. "I want Dr Riek Machar, the first vice president of the republic, to be near me, so we can chart the way forward."