South Sudan President Dissolves Transitional Government

President Salva Kiir has dissolved South Sudan’s Transitional Government of National Unity and appointed caretaker officials to oversee government functions ahead of general elections scheduled for December. The presidential decrees were broadcast on state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) television on Tuesday, September 22.

Kiir also appointed caretaker governors for the country’s 10 states and three administrative areas. The move came three months before the scheduled December 22 elections and followed amendments to the country’s electoral law.

The amended National Elections Act, signed into law by Kiir on Monday, separates the conduct of the elections from the completion of a permanent constitution and a national census. It also provides for the incumbent executive leadership to remain in office during the election period until a newly elected president is sworn in.

The dissolution marks the end of the transitional government established under the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which was formed in February 2020 following years of conflict. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but descended into civil war in December 2013 after President Kiir accused his then deputy, Riek Machar, of attempting a coup. Machar denied the accusation. Fighting resumed in 2016 despite a peace agreement.

The 2018 peace agreement established a transitional government to oversee the implementation of the deal and prepare the country for elections.

In September 2024, the parties to the agreement agreed to extend the transitional period by 24 months, from February 2025 to February 2027, while rescheduling elections for December 2026. The extension was later ratified by the transitional legislature and approved by the president. The National Elections Commission subsequently set December 22, 2026, as the date for the general elections, which would be the country’s first national elections since independence.

The African Union Peace and Security Council said in August that South Sudanese authorities had committed to holding elections on December 22, while also noting political and security challenges and funding and administrative shortfalls affecting electoral bodies.

The dissolution of the transitional government comes as South Sudan moves into the final three months before the scheduled vote.

SOURCE: AA