The junta led by President Salva Kiir and his cronies is like a hard-headed, stubborn widow who defies the brother-in-law who takes responsibility for his deceased brother’s wife. Over the last few months, Kiir’s regime has been facing severe criticism from the international community for refusing to back down from its stance on conducting spontaneous, even sham, elections.
On Thursday, 20 August 2026, Kiir’s office issued a statement rebuffing and repudiating advice from the international community, especially Western countries. The government emphasized that national sovereignty must be respected, insisting that upcoming elections, reforms, and judicial processes must be driven by South Sudanese institutions rather than foreign pressure.
That statement came as pressure mounted from the international community, which was counselling the reckless regime to implement all provisions in the 2018 peace agreement before general elections can be conducted. However, Kiir’s administration is defining the genuine concern and pressure, and is portraying elections as a matter of national sovereignty. Kiir and his cronies contend that citizens should be allowed to choose their leaders through a democratic process. Many people who follow South Sudan politics are surprised by such rhetoric, given Kiir’s refusal to implement peace agreements entirely.
There are some conditions needed for credible elections, including political space, security-sector reform and the implementation of outstanding provisions of the 2018 peace agreement. The government has previously maintained that elections should proceed in December 2026 despite delays in implementing some elements of the peace deal.
At this point, security-sector reform is a key part of the peace agreement and has faced delays and political disagreements, particularly over the unification and deployment of forces. In that regard, a credible and fair election cannot be conducted in the absence of its arrangement.
The regime has continued to defy the pressure from the United States, Japan, Norway, Britain, Canada, and many other countries that are calling for full peace implementation. Kiir’s regime maintains that international engagement should be based on “mutual respect, partnership and sovereignty,” while in fact, no country is trying to disrespect the Government of South Sudan. They are trying to help it implement the peace agreement in the right direction.
In conclusion, South Sudan is currently under pressure from the regional and international community to implement the peace agreement and ensure an inclusive political process. Opposition groups have questioned the government’s approach to general elections, with the SPLM-IO rejecting a proposed dialogue led by Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar. Conducting an election with only Kiir running is not an election we want in South Sudan. However, the hard-headed regime continues to strive for such a poor one-man-ticket election.
Respectively!
The author is a political commentator. He can be reached at lulgatluak09@gmail.com.
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the responsibility of the author, not Radio Tamazuj.
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