United States recognises South Sudan’s sovereign right to decide when and how to hold elections, the U.S. embassy in Juba said on Monday, while stressing that any vote should take place peacefully and be funded with the country’s own public resources.
The embassy said Washington does not seek to impose a political or ideological model on South Sudan and recognises that the “timing and scope” of elections are for South Sudanese to decide.
“If South Sudan proceeds with elections, our expectations are that South Sudan’s leaders ensure peaceful conditions and fund them with South Sudan’s own public resources,” the embassy said.
The statement came after recent comments by South Sudan’s transitional government about a policy of Western countries towards the elections.
Washington did not explicitly endorse the government’s December 2026 election timetable, nor did it say that conditions for a credible vote had been met. Instead, it outlined expectations that any elections should be conducted in peaceful conditions and financed from South Sudan’s domestic public resources.
The United States said its position reflected its own policy priorities in South Sudan, including supporting peace and ending the misuse of public revenue, which it said should be allocated for appropriate public purposes.
The transitional government has said elections are due in December 2026, but opposition groups and some international actors have raised concerns about the security situation, delays in implementing the 2018 peace agreement and whether conditions for a credible vote have been established.
South Sudan has repeatedly delayed elections since gaining independence in 2011, with political leaders citing the need to implement key provisions of the peace agreement and prepare the country for a vote.
The United States has been a major provider of humanitarian assistance to South Sudan and has repeatedly urged its leaders to implement the peace agreement, improve governance and use public resources for their intended purposes.
and then