South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday welcomed the decision made by the Government of South Sudan extending the country’s transitional period by another two years. This effectively postpones the national elections initially due to take place on 22 December 2024.
Last week, South Sudan’s government postponed the December 2024 general elections until December 2026, citing a lack of preparedness.
This is the second time the country, which gained independence in 2011, is postponing elections and extending a transitional period that started in February 2020.
The country is going through an economic crisis that has seen civil servants and members of the organized forces go unpaid for almost one year.
In a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj, President Ramaphosa commended the Parties to the 2018 peace agreement for arriving at the decision by consensus, which bodes well for the implementation of the remainder of the provisions of the peace deal.
The South African leader, who visited Juba in April to push for peace, calls on South Sudanese Parties and the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) to spare no effort in implementing the outstanding provisions of the agreement and to maintain the peaceful atmosphere that has existed since September 2018.
President Ramaphosa further calls on the transitional government to allocate the necessary resources for the effective functioning of statutory institutions mandated to deliver free and fair elections.
President Ramaphosa similarly calls on the East African bloc and the wider international community to continue to support the Government and people of South Sudan in their search for lasting peace and democracy.
“For its part, South Africa will continue to support South Sudan to realise the ideals for peace, democracy and development,” the statement read in part.