5 February 2025
Charles Tai Gituai, Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission — the official oversight body responsible for monitoring and evaluating the status of implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement — said that the parties in September 2024 agreed to extend the transitional period from 22 February 2025 to 22 February 2027, with elections rescheduled to December 2026. While the National Election Commission has completed its plans and has opened offices in the 10 states, financial constraints remain a hindrance in election preparations.
Further, election laws stipulate that parties with armed forces cannot be registered until they relinquish their forces — this includes the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition and others within the South Sudan Opposition Alliance, he said. This underscores the need to hasten the unification of forces so that these parties can participate in the elections. Also expressing concern about persistent levels of intercommunal violence in some parts of the country, he noted that the Sudan conflict exacerbates the humanitarian situation and has caused a huge influx of returnees and refugees in South Sudan. Further, oil production — the country’s main source of foreign earnings — was disrupted in the second quarter of 2024 because of that conflict.
Welcoming the work of the National Constitutional Amendment Committee and the Judicial Reform Committee, he said “the success of these institutions demonstrates that with funding availability, the Peace Agreement institutions and mechanisms can fully discharge their mandates”. The permanent ceasefire continues to hold, though recent skirmishes in Western Equatoria State are concerning. Commending the mediation talks ongoing in Nairobi, he said: “The people of South Sudan are looking forward to a positive outcome for these talks and hoping that it will bring practical and enhanced transformative approaches in addressing the root causes of conflict.” The Council must consider a visit to South Sudan to mobilize resources and political support to help South Sudan achieve its first democratic elections in December 2026, he added.