South Sudan: Postponing long-awaited elections ‘a regrettable development’

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The decision to extend the transition period in South Sudan once again and postpone long-awaited elections cannot be “business as usual”, the UN Special Representative for the country told the Security Council on Thursday. 

Nicholas Haysom updated ambassadors on developments in the world’s youngest country, which was due to hold its first-ever general elections next month. 

Since his last briefing in August, the transitional period was extended until February 2027, pushing back the timetable for the vote to December 2026.

“This was inevitable but a regrettable development given the deep frustration and fatigue felt by the South Sudanese people at the apparent political paralysis and inaction of their leaders to implement the peace agreement and deliver the long awaited democratic transition,” he said. 

Steps towards peace 

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but two years later, fighting broke out between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his rival, Vice-President Riek Machar, which left killed hundreds of thousands dead. The 2018 peace deal, known as the Revitalized Agreement, ended the war. 

In September, the parties announced that the elections would be postponed to December 2026, and the transition period agreed under the accord would be extended by another two years to February 2027.   

Appeal for compromise 

In the interim, Mr. Haysom, who also heads the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has been holding intensive discussions with political leaders, civil society, faith-based representatives, youth leaders, women’s coalitions, and international partners. 

“This has left me in no doubt that, as the Secretary-General has stated, that the only way forward is for South Sudan’s leaders to urgently find the compromises, modes of implementation and take decisive steps required to achieve a critical mass of the key benchmarks set out in the Revitalised Peace Agreement,” he said. 

He noted, however, that since the latest extension, implementation of the accord and a 2022 roadmap  “has yet again been relegated to the back burner while political interests play out at the national level.” 

Furthermore, a Kenya-led dialogue process aimed at getting non-signatory opposition groups to join the peace agreement also appears to have stalled, though apparently will resume. 

The clock is ticking 

“UNMISS has been clear. The clock on South Sudan’s fourth extension has started ticking. It doesn’t reset in February next year when the extended transition begins, it begins now. Otherwise, we could find ourselves in the same predicament in December 2026,” he warned. 

“This cannot be business as usual for the parties to the peace agreement, the political elite, the guarantors of the peace agreement, or the international community. We must take this opportunity to make this extension the last and deliver the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve.” 

The UN Mission has identified six achievable benchmarks which the parties can address immediately.  Issues covered include deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF), civic education, preparatory work for voter registration, and developing a code of conduct between political parties, civil society and the media. 

The envoy recently met with President Kiir to discuss the urgent need for progress, and he also urged the international community to “rally around these immediate tasks.” 

UN support for elections 

He said UNMISS is moving ahead with assistance to the National Elections Commission while also “driving initiatives to enhance the civic and political space”. It is also collaborating with 200 civil society organizations across the country to build monitoring alliances and boost civic education and participation in elections observation.

“I need to underscore that our efforts and the current momentum is a product of the strong desire of the South Sudanese people to contribute to their own nation-building project,” he added.  

“After all, these are not ‘UN elections’ or ‘foreign elections’ – these are South Sudan’s first sovereign, post-independence elections.”

Violence, flooding and humanitarian needs

Turning to other matters, Mr. Haysom reported on the spike violence at a local level that is emerging as the rainy season ends. The number of civilian casualties during separate incidents in three states – Upper Nile, Central Equatoria and Warrap – is alarming, he said.

Ongoing violence and flooding also continue to cause immense harm and disrupt opportunities for recovery and durable solutions in South Sudan, he added. Although aid partners have reached nearly four million people this year, obstacles persist including limited resources, and the $1.8 billion 2024 humanitarian plan is roughly 57 per cent funded.

Meanwhile, the conflict in neighbouring Sudan continues to exacerbate such challenges. 

South Sudan has received over 830,000 refugees and returnees since the war erupted in April 2023 – equivalent to over seven per cent of its population. This comes amid rising hunger and a cholera outbreak that began at the northern border with cases arriving from Sudan.