Can South Sudan meet its election deadline this time?

This research paper analyzes the challenges facing South Sudan's transition to democracy, specifically the likelihood of meeting the December 2024 election deadline. It argues that systemic delays in implementing the 2018 peace agreement, poor security, and institutional weaknesses increase the risk of a disputed election or further extensions.

• South Sudan's transitional government extended its term to February 2025, with elections now planned for December 2024, following the failure to meet the original December 2022 deadline set by the 2018 peace agreement.
• Implementation of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan has been consistently delayed. Key failures include the late formation of the transitional unity government in 2020 and the delayed graduation of the trained unified force in August 2022, which was originally intended to consist of 83,000 troops.
• Several prerequisites for the December 2024 elections remain unmet, including the establishment of electoral frameworks, improved security, and the completion of a national census, which has been obstructed by poor infrastructure and security.
• The role of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) as a guarantor is complicated by a potential conflict of interest, as President Salva Kiir is set to become IGAD chair in July 2024, just months before the scheduled elections.
• External oversight by the African Union (AU) and IGAD was weakened by the diversion of resources toward other regional crises, specifically the Tigray war in Ethiopia and the crisis in Sudan.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Can South Sudan meet its election deadline this time? https://issafrica.org/iss-today/can-south-sudan-meet-its-election-deadline-this-time

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Can South Sudan meet its election deadline this time? n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/can-south-sudan-meet-its-election-deadline-this-time.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Can South Sudan meet its election deadline this time? |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/can-south-sudan-meet-its-election-deadline-this-time |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndcan, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Can South Sudan meet its election deadline this time?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/can-south-sudan-meet-its-election-deadline-this-time}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }