Activist renews call for inclusive dialogue
Civil society leader Edmund Yakani has returned to the spotlight with an appeal for accelerated work on South Sudan’s peace deal before citizens head to the polls in December 2026.
“The country needs an all-party dialogue under President Salva Kiir’s patronage to unlock a nine-month deadlock,” Yakani stated in Juba (CEPO statement).
Stalled provisions of the 2018 peace accord
Key security reforms, permanent constitution drafting and electoral laws remain unfinished, more than five years after the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict was signed.
Observers caution that each missed deadline erodes public trust while inflation and displacement continue to strain communities.
Court case clouds opposition participation
A criminal trial against suspended First Vice-President Dr. Riek Machar and seven SPLM-IO members is slated to resume this year, stirring uncertainty over their ability to campaign.
Yakani fears the case could push electoral timelines beyond reach, insisting due process must not upend the wider peace roadmap.
Legitimacy stakes for the unity government
The Transitional Government of National Unity’s mandate legally ends with the 2026 vote.
Civil society analysts warn that further postponement may trigger questions about constitutional authority, potentially unsettling investors and humanitarian donors already wary of volatility.
Regional legal avenues on standby
CEPO signals readiness to petition the East African Court of Justice should elections be shelved, echoing earlier petitions from Ugandan and Kenyan activists on related conflicts.
Such external scrutiny, Yakani argues, could reinforce domestic accountability mechanisms without undermining sovereignty.