South Sudan has once more found itself entangled in a seemingly unending debate about maintaining status quo and going for general elections in December 2026, with the majority of the political parties to the R-ARCSS agreeing in principle, to conduct general elections in December 2026 while some opposition party members (SPLM/A-IO) refusing to address themselves to the topic in question by distancing themselves from being part of the Expanded Presidency Meeting held on the 10th of December this month.
The unsettling debate about full implementation of the R-ARCSS and the idea of bypassing certain provisions (security arrangements and Permanent Constitution) to be addressed by the elected government is controversial to say the least. These issues are dubbed as Post-election matters.
It’s been a decade since the signing of the 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ACRSS 2015).
Despite the Revitalization of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in 2018 (R-ARCSS -2018), little has been achieved due to lack of adequate funding and a dot of political will.
Undoubtedly so, the R-TGoNU has fallen short to implement all the provisions of the R-ARCSS which should have concluded with the conduct of general elections despite two unsuccessful extensions (2020-2022, 2025) of its’ mandate.
On the 10th of December 2025 the Expanded Presidency Meeting resolved that the long awaited [general] elections will be held by December 2026, restoring hope and optimism for transition.
However, the SPLM/A-IO other group which didn’t take part in the Expanded Presidency Meeting was quick to distance itself from the Presidency’s resolution. It clarified that it didn’t partake in the meeting and was not bound by its’ resolution.
While in the previous extensions, the SPLM in government proposed going to polls, the opposition then insisted that certain R-ARCSS provisions needed to be implemented first (esp. Ch 2 on security arrangements and Permanent Constitution) before going to polls, leading to endorsement of the status quo.
For this time around the Presidency again decided that 2026 [general] elections go ahead as planned although without a detailed roadmap to guide.
Nevertheless the opposition like before is divided and it remains to be seen if and when the elections promise will come to pass.
To some, the call for elections in 2026 is a political maneuver designed to outsmart detractors for political gain by the proponents while to others it is real. Only time will prove it right or wrong.
The more serious question that requires an honest and serious answer though, is:
Is South Sudan stuck between rock and hard place or is it held hostage by its’ political class from ending cycle of extensions?
In other words, is there no choice ( to be made by the political class) between the status quo and transitioning the country into democracy through elections?
The political class refers to the political establishment of the day comprising the parties to the R-ARCSS. Of course, there are political parties which are not part of the R-ARCSS and who feel that this exclusion has been used to deny them participation in the national matters of political importance.
No matter how hard the choices, part of the government’s mandate (be it elected or interim government) is to make choices and decisions on behalf of the people. Such decisions may not always be easy or popular to make but if they are made in good faith and in the public interest, then it is necessary to move forward.
Moreover, South Sudanese are divided along political lines and, of course don’t stand the chance to dictate government decisions so long as they still have faith in it.
The marathon of a decade-long attempt to implement the R-ARCSS has proven futile, costly, tiring and unsuccessful not only to the R-TGoNU but also to the population and to our friends.
Perhaps it is high time for South Sudan’s political establishment to try something new as we embark on the new decade.
Abert Einstein, a famous physicist once said: ” repeating the same thing and expecting different results is insanity”.
So if South Sudan had been ineffective in implementing R-ARCSS for the last decade without change of behavior then how can it transition to democracy?
Avoiding conduct of general elections will be difficult to justify to the population and it will test the people’s withering faith in government and may risk unspecified consequences.
The Presidency should see to it that all the political forces including the hold out groups are onboard and ready for the 2026 general elections to transition the country to democracy and close the chapter on the conundrum of seemingly endless unsuccessful transitions.
After all, choosing no option is an option itself. So making another extension is a choice and that of the status quo. The problem with this decision is that it can be as costly as going for general elections or even more so. Thus, South Sudan should choose the lesser evil of the two choices based on consensus and understanding.
Let me conclude with the positive note, by relating our situation to a Chinese saying:
“a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. This is to say that in spite of the seemingly insurmountable leadership challenges facing the country’s leadership, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
The commentator is a lecturer in the School of Journalism Media and Communication Studies (SJMCS) and a 4th Year Law student in the same institution.
