African leaders have urged South Sudan’s government to take urgent steps to create conditions for credible elections, including considering the release of political detainees such as First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, describing the move as a gesture toward national cohesion and reconciliation.
In a final declaration issued after a summit in Addis Ababa on February 15, the African Union High-Level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan — known as the C5 — said consolidating peace and restoring political trust were essential ahead of general elections scheduled for December 2026.
The meeting, chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the AU’s 39th Ordinary Session, brought together leaders from Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, as well as representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to assess South Sudan’s fragile transition.
The committee expressed “deep concern” over what it described as a deteriorating political and security situation, warning that escalating tensions risk undermining the 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war.
It demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and the swift unification of rival forces, a key provision of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which it said remains the framework guiding the transition.
The leaders said the transitional government must prioritise preparations to end the extended transition period by February 2027, stressing there should be no further extensions. They urged authorities to provide adequate funding and political backing to the National Elections Commission, the National Constitutional Review Commission and the Political Parties Council to enable “free, fair and credible” polls.
The declaration also tasked the AU Commission with working alongside South Sudanese institutions to develop a clear electoral roadmap and mobilise technical and financial support for inclusive elections.
Release of detainees
In a notable appeal, the committee called on the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity to “lay the groundwork for a successful organisation of the elections,” including by considering the release of all political detainees, especially Machar, as a confidence-building measure.
Machar, a longtime rival of President Salva Kiir, was serving as first vice president under the 2018 power-sharing arrangement before being suspended last year. He was placed under house arrest in Juba in March 2025 over alleged links to violence in Nasir, Upper Nile state, and is facing treason charges before a special court established in September 2025.
Before the C5 communiqué was made public on Friday, Juba rejected suggestions that the call for Machar’s release reflected a collective AU C5 position. Information Minister Ateny Wek Ateny told reporters in Juba on Thursday that Machar’s fate could only be determined by the judiciary.
“The issue of Dr Riek Machar is before the court. It is not for politicians to decide,” he said, adding that the call for Machar’s release had been raised by Nigeria as one member of the C5, not as a unified position of the group.
Mandated by the AU Peace and Security Council to support mediation efforts by IGAD, the C5 also renewed calls for the appointment of an AU High Representative or Special Envoy for South Sudan to provide strategic oversight of the peace process, working alongside IGAD and the United Nations.
The committee urged international partners and donors to step up humanitarian and financial assistance, warning that worsening insecurity was compounding already dire needs.
Civil society’s reaction
Edmund Yakani, head of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), welcomed the final declaration, saying it met civil society expectations.
However, he cautioned that inadequate political will could hamper implementation, warning that spoilers might seek to delay or dilute reforms, as seen with previous commitments under the 2018 accord.
“The ball is in the court of the government and the leadership of the RTGoNU to demonstrate genuine compliance,” he said.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has repeatedly postponed elections as leaders struggle to implement key provisions of the 2018 peace agreement, including security sector reforms and constitution-making.