South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has dissolved the transitional government, three months before the country's first election since its independence in 2011. The dissolution of the government comes after several postponements of elections and extensions of the transitional period. Under the amended law, Kiir removed the country's five vice-presidents and dissolved parliament, as well as national and state governments.
Kiir is the presidential candidate of his Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and no prominent figures have announced plans to challenge him in the December poll. The main opposition leader Riek Machar was sacked as vice-president last year and charged with treason. He is under house arrest and had been named vice-president as part of a 2018 peace deal to end a five-year civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar.
Kiir will remain in office with full constitutional powers until an elected president is sworn in. He also reappointed some ministers and governors in caretaker positions until the 22 December elections. A heavy security presence was reported in the capital, Juba, ahead of the announcement. Soldiers from the army and national security services blocked access to government ministries and patrolled parts of the city.
The UN agencies in Juba asked staff to work remotely while the situation was monitored. A senior government official told the BBC that staff arriving for work were turned away and told to return the following Monday. Last week, Kiir dismissed the chairman of the national elections commission, Abednego Akok Kacuol, without giving a reason. He was replaced by the commission's secretary-general, Gabriel Bol Deng.
Akok had said in August that the commission needed $250m to conduct the election but had received only $21m. The main opposition group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), the party of Machar, warned people not to take part in poll preparations. Nathaniel Pierino, acting chairperson of the group, said in a post on Facebook that anyone coming to register voters and campaign in territories controlled by the SPLM-IO would be considered a prisoner of war.
The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), which oversees the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement, said South Sudan had entered a "critical phase". The commission urged the parties to agree on a path towards credible elections and a peaceful end to the transitional period, which has lasted since independence. The latest 24-month extension was due to end on 22 February 2027.
The elections in South Sudan are scheduled to take place on 22 December 2024, however, the country has previously postponed elections twice and extended the transitional period several times. The international community is closely monitoring the situation, and the UN has expressed concerns about the security situation in the country.
Key points
- President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional government ahead of the country's first election since independence in 2011.
- The main opposition leader Riek Machar was sacked as vice-president and charged with treason.
- The elections in South Sudan are scheduled to take place on 22 December 2024.
