President Salva Kiir Mayardit reaffirmed his commitment to the general elections scheduled for December 2026 during the Governors’ Forum.
The elections, initially scheduled for December this year, were postponed in September in parallel with a two-year extension of the country’s transitional period.
In his address, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit emphasized the importance of concluding the Tumaini peace negotiations, while clarifying that talks with opposition groups do not aim to replace the current Revitalized Peace Agreement.
“Our collective vision as signatories to the 2018 peace agreement is to fill the gaps, understand the reservations of distant groups, integrate those concerns into the existing agreement, so that the Tumaini Initiative becomes part of this agreement,” he stated.
“It makes sense to say that any agreement intended to replace the existing one would defeat the principle of inclusivity and inevitably lead to a cycle of conflict,” he added.
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Nicholas Haysom, expressed his disappointment over the postponement of elections in South Sudan.
Due to a lack of progress on key outcomes of the agreement, he described the decision as “regrettable but unavoidable.” Haysom insisted that “what is needed now is a clear, realistic, and cohesive work plan for the next two years.”
The Governors’ Forum took place at a time when South Sudan is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis, with nine million people in need of assistance. The influx of 880,000 returnees and refugees fleeing violence in neighboring Sudan is adding further pressure on the country.
