GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Dec. 14 on the situation in South Sudan at the request of about 40 countries led by the United States, a U.N. statement said on Friday.

Ethnic cleansing is taking place in some areas of South Sudan and the stage is set for a repeat of the Rwandan genocide, the head of the U.N. commission of human rights in the country said on Dec. 1 at the end of a 10-day visit.

South Sudan plunged into civil conflict in December 2013 after a long running feud between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, who are from different ethnic groups. Much of the fighting ran along ethnic lines. A peace deal was signed in 2015 but proved shaky from the outset.