Pressure mounted on South Sudan’s transitional government led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit after 17 foreign embassies and the European Union warned that unilateral changes to the 2018 peace agreement threatened the legitimacy of the government and risked undermining efforts to preserve peace.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the embassies of Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the United States, together with the EU delegation, called for an “immediate return to dialogue” among parties to the peace deal.
“The Peace Agreement remains the basis of legitimacy for the transitional government in South Sudan,” the statement said. “Unilateral changes to the Agreement are not in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Agreement and will not bring peace to South Sudan.”
The diplomatic missions said dialogue and full implementation of the 2018 revitalized peace agreement remained essential to maintaining stability in the world’s youngest nation.
The unusually broad statement, backed by an expanded group of diplomatic missions, comes amid growing concern among international partners — many of them major donors to South Sudan — over moves by factions within the transitional government to amend provisions of the peace deal ahead of elections scheduled for December 2026.
Kiir’s camp on May 11 tabled controversial amendments to the 2018 peace agreement before parliament, triggering a boycott by opposition lawmakers who said the process violated procedures set out in the accord.
Among the proposed amendments is the repeal of provisions establishing the supremacy of the 2018 peace agreement over national laws and the transitional constitution.
The proposed amendments are opposed by the opposition SPLM-IO, a key signatory to the peace agreement, which says it was neither consulted nor included in the process.
The proposed changes have also drawn concern from the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), which oversees implementation of the agreement.
The peace monitoring body has warned that amendments require consultation and approval from all signatory parties, including the SPLM-IO faction aligned with First Vice President Riek Machar.
Machar was detained in March 2025 and later suspended from his position over allegations linking him to violence in Nasir County. He is currently facing treason charges before a special court established last year.
Members of the international community have repeatedly urged Kiir’s government to release Machar, resume political dialogue and fully implement the peace agreement to pave the way for peaceful elections.
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