RJMEC's latest quarterly report says unresolved political disputes, unilateral amendments to the peace deal and incomplete security arrangements could undermine the 22 December polls.
South Sudan's peace monitoring body has warned that the general elections scheduled for 22 December 2026 could lack credibility. The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) cited unresolved political disputes, incomplete security reforms and stalled commitments under the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS).
In its report for the third quarter of 2026, released on 28 October, the commission says that "only two months remain before the scheduled elections, while several critical election related tasks of the R-ARCSS remained outstanding". It describes the period as marked by a "lack of consensus among the Parties and stakeholders over the political and legal pathway to the elections".
Amendments without consensus
RJMEC criticises the government for amending the agreement without following Article 8.4, which requires the endorsement of at least two-thirds of RJMEC's voting members. It says the government bypassed the commission and sent the amendments directly to the Transitional National Legislature. According to the report, the resulting constitutional amendments sought to end the transitional period and dissolve the power-sharing arrangements without the consensus of all signatories. It calls the dissolution of the Presidency "a unilateral decision" contrary to the agreement.
The commission acknowledges the launch of an Inter-Party Dialogue on 24 September. However, it notes that some parties did not take part, including allies of detained and exiled SPLM/A-IO leaders and holdout groups, and says the dialogue's status "remains unclear".
Security concerns
The report warns that "continuing armed confrontations, incomplete Transitional Security Arrangements, inter-communal violence, active armed groups and concerns regarding civic and political space" could affect voter registration, campaigning, the safety of candidates and acceptance of results.
Separately, the ceasefire monitoring body CTSAMVM urged the signatories at a board meeting in Juba to hold those responsible for verified violations to account, One Citizen Daily reported. Its chairperson, Maj. Gen. Dr Hailu Endashaw Atomsa, said: "Restraint is a sign of strength and of commitment to the peace process."
Tight timetable
The National Elections Commission has said voter registration will begin in early November, less than two months before polling day. South Sudan has no existing national voter register, according to analysis published by The Conversation. President Salva Kiir and his allies have insisted the vote will go ahead on schedule; these would be the country's first elections since independence in 2011.
RJMEC urged the parties to "place the national interest above partisan considerations, commit themselves to dialogue and open political civic space".
Photo: Juba, South Sudan's capital, 2016. Rigan123, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.