South Sudan delays first national elections to February

The world's youngest country, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has struggled with ongoing violence despite a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war that killed at least 400,000 people. Elections were originally set for 2022, but have been delayed multiple times. In September, President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional unity government and appointed a caretaker administration, allowing the country to move towards elections without first completing a permanent constitution or census, two processes previously tied to the transition.

Analysts and watchdogs have warned that move dismantled a key power-sharing arrangement, consolidating power in Kiir’s hands and raising the risk of renewed widespread conflict. Yasmin Sooka, chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, called it “a constitutional coup through legislative reforms”. “Whether elections take place or not, South Sudan will still need an inclusive political settlement, protection for civilians and institutions capable of preventing further violence,” she added in October.

Under the new timetable, voter registration is due to begin on November 14 and continue until November 28. A 45-day election campaign period will run from December 27 to February 9, followed by a one-day silence period before the February 11 poll. Gabriel Bol Deng, chairman of the National Elections Commission, said 3,161 registration centres have been set up across the country with more than 22,000 staff recruited. According to the World Bank, about 90 percent of South Sudan’s 15 million inhabitants have no state-recognised identification, complicating their registration. Deng said such people, particularly in rural areas, will be identified by community leaders and issued an “identification form” enabling them to vote.

Kiir’s government forces and followers of detained former Vice President Riek Machar have been involved in escalating, deadly confrontations in recent months. Machar has been under house arrest since March on accusations of crimes against humanity. Other ethnic tensions and cattle-rustling battles have also complicated the picture in one of the world’s poorest countries.