Once again extending the transitional period stipulated in a 2018 peace agreement, South Sudan’s transitional government announced that the eagerly anticipated elections scheduled for December 2024 would be rescheduled for an additional two years.
Although President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar’s 2013–2018 civil war was put to an end by a peace agreement six years ago, the two men’s constant animosity has repeatedly stalled a transition that was meant to clear the way for subsequent elections.
The announcement represents the most recent postponement of elections in the youngest country in the world, as earlier plans for elections in February 2023 were shelved due to the government’s noncompliance with important terms of the deal.
Addressing to the media, Tut Gatluak, the head of the High-level Standing Committee for the Implementation of the 2018 Peace Agreement and the Roadmap and Presidential Adviser on Security, stated that the extension presents a chance to carry out the crucial remaining procedures in R-ARCSS, including the permanent constitution process, the census, and political party registration.
According to Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, the move will enable the parties to the 2018 peace agreement to carry out the outstanding vital tasks.
According to Lomuro, the decision to extend was made in response to advice from the security and electoral authorities. “These institutions made their assessments of the implementation process, but also the Constitutional Review Commission, the National Election Commission, the Political Party Council, and the National Bureau of Statistics made their reports, and from all these reports they made recommendations,”
Lomuro said “We were directed by the presidency to review (implementation of the revitalized peace deal).
The official added that the transitional government will continue to operate normally and that institutions will carry out the terms of the extended peace agreement, citing the National Election Act 2023 as the reason why it will no longer dissolve its executive and legislative branches by September 22.
It was suggested that they address two or three issues: first, they failed to finish all the necessary tasks for the December 2024 elections; second, they required our approval for an extension in order to postpone the election and prolong the transitional period that followed, we presented this report to the president, who approved the recommendation that elections be rescheduled in accordance with the advice of election-related and security sector organizations,” he stated.
Minister Lomuro states that the 24-month extension will run from February 2025 to February 2026.
The political leadership of South Sudan has repeatedly frustrated international observers due to Kiir and Machar’s damaging and protracted feud, which has impeded the progress of general elections.
Following the presidency meeting, a government official who wanted to stay secret informed the local media that the Tumaini Initiative negotiations between the transitional government and the opposition groups holding out could be hampered by extending the transitional period.
According to a different source, the transitional government in Juba has received explicit instructions from the Troika group of countries—Norway, the United States, and Britain—that they will only endorse a further extension of the transitional period if the Tumaini Initiative is involved.
The Troika is exerting pressure on the government due to yet another extension.Two days ago, US Ambassador Michael Adler notified the leadership that they could back a second extension as long as Tumaini was included.
The government rejected the Troika’s proposal for the Tumaini Initiative to act as an outlet for a further extension, he said.
“As the transitional government, we maintain that the 2018 peace agreement and the Revitalized Government do not include the opposition groups that remain. Thus, they are unable to decide on any modifications to the 2018 peace agreement or additional extensions,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that the parties to the Transitional Government of National Unity decided to extend the political transitional process for another two years from 2024 to 2026 in the same manner of extending the last 24 months,” stated Edmund Yakani, a civil society activist from South Sudan.
“Only if the president and the first vice president regain trust and confidence for working together to transition the country from political instability to stability will this newly extended political transitional period of two more years succeed,” he continued.
Additionally, the president will only be able to work miracles during the recently prolonged transitional period if they are able to allocate funds and the new national budget specifically for carrying out the peace deal’s outstanding tasks.