Ramaphosa urges peace and unity in South Sudan ahead of polls
· Citizen
President Cyril Ramaphosa has described 2026 as a pivotal year for South Sudan, calling for enhanced mediation to resolve outstanding issues before the nation goes to the polls in December.
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Ramaphosa made the remarks on the second and last day of the African Union Ad-hoc Committee Summit on South Sudan on Sunday.
World’s youngest democracy
The gathering was convened jointly with the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), and the East African Community (EAC) to support the peace process.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country and democracy, has been beset by civil war, poverty and massive corruption since it was formed in 2011.
Barely two years into its hard-won independence, the country found itself in the grip of a civil war between President Salva Kiir and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar, that left nearly 400,000 people dead before the two men signed a peace deal in 2018.
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Resolving issues
Ramaphosa said Pretoria welcomes South Sudan’s government’s stated intention to hold elections and to convene a national dialogue to resolve outstanding issues before elections are held.
“The people of South Sudan yearn to live in a peaceful and prosperous country, and elections alone will not guarantee lasting peace. Firstly, a conducive political and security environment is vital. Violence and conflict at any stage will undermine confidence and derail the process.
“Secondly, the political processes, such as the national dialogue and legal processes, must be genuinely inclusive. They must bring together all signatories and stakeholders to the Revitalisation Agreement so that decisions reflect broad ownership, credibility and legitimacy,” Ramaphosa said.
Reconciliation
Ramaphosa said South Africa encourages measures that will build unity, including all options to facilitate reconciliation.
“We stand ready to support mediation, to monitor implementation and to coordinate our efforts. The choices made in the coming months will determine whether South Sudan moves towards durable peace or back into cycles of instability.
“Let us act with urgency, courage and unity. Let us use this summit to foster a process that delivers inclusive dialogue, free, fair and credible elections and sustainable peace for the people of South Sudan,” Ramaphosa said.
Sudan has often been called the world’s “forgotten” war, overshadowed by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine despite the scale of the horrors inflicted upon civilians.
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