South Sudan's Election Delay Sparks Disappointment Among International Peacemakers

International guarantors criticized South Sudan's transitional government for postponing December elections, marking a failure to implement the 2018 peace plan. The extension, announced by President Salva Kiir, delays elections by two years. The United Nations and major global powers emphasized the need for elections to secure lasting peace.

International guarantors of South Sudan's peace process expressed disappointment over the transitional government's decision to postpone December elections. They cited the move as evidence of its failure to implement the 2018 peace plan.

Last Friday, South Sudan President Salva Kiir announced a two-year extension of the transitional period, marking the second delay in elections, following a previous delay in 2022. These elections would mark the first since the 2018 peace agreement ended a five-year civil conflict that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, although violence still intermittently flares between rival communities.

Britain, the United States, Norway, the European Union, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, key guarantors since South Sudan's 2011 independence from Sudan, collectively criticized the extension. They labeled it a setback and emphasized that elections were crucial to achieving lasting peace, urging South Sudanese leaders to create conditions conducive for elections. South Sudan's information minister, Michael Makuei, did not respond to requests for comment. The United Nations special envoy, Nicholas Haysom, acknowledged the country's lack of readiness for elections in his statement.

(With inputs from agencies.)