South Sudan postpones first elections to February amid violence

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Nov, 21:13 · Archive

South Sudan has delayed its first national elections from December to February 2027 amid ongoing violence and political tensions.

South Sudan's election commission announced on Saturday that the country's first national elections will be held on February 11, 2027, instead of December 22 this year. The commission said the postponement was to allow time for voter registration and civic education. According to the World Bank, the vast majority of South Sudanese lack state-recognized ID, creating challenges for voter registration. Thousands of registration centres have been established across the country.

This marks the latest delay to elections that were originally expected in 2022. The country, which became independent from Sudan in 2011, has not yet held national elections. South Sudan continues to grapple with violence despite a 2018 peace deal that ended five years of civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backed by former Vice President Riek Machar.

Kiir dissolved the transitional unity government in September and appointed a caretaker administration, removing Machar, who is under house arrest on treason charges. Analysts warned this step consolidated power in Kiir's hands and dismantled key power-sharing arrangements. Yasmin Sooka, chair of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, described the move as 'a constitutional coup through legislative reforms'. Ethnic tensions between Kiir's Dinka group and Machar's Nuer supporters, along with other communal conflicts, continue to complicate the situation.

How it is being reported

• South Sudan pushes back elections amid violent flare-upsSouth Sudan has been independent from Sudan since 2011, and has not yet held national elections. Since then, the country faces cycles of violence after a civil war led to a tenuous peace deal.DW News · 14 Nov, 20:53
• South Sudan postpones first-ever national elections until FebruaryThe vote, first expected in 2022, will now be held on February 11, according to the country's election commission.Al Jazeera · 14 Nov, 10:30

In this story: South Sudan · Salva Kiir · Riek Machar · Sudan · Yasmin Sooka

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log