South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Election Watch Initiative of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has reported that plans for the 2026 elections are becoming increasingly uncertain due to ongoing conflicts throughout the country.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO, said that the prospects for conducting elections as a means of achieving a peaceful transition are diminishing as violence continues to escalate.
“The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization’s Election Watch Initiative has observed that the feasibility of elections as a viable option for a peaceful political transition in South Sudan is shrinking daily, particularly due to the recent outbreaks of armed violence,” Yakani said in a statement on Sunday.
“If the recent outbreak of deadly armed violence in some parts of the country is not properly managed by the leadership, there is a high possibility that the plans for conducting the elections will fail,” he warned.
Yakani noted that failure to hold elections in December 2026 would signal a setback for the political transition, urging the country’s leaders to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities to guide the nation from violence to peace.
“The national optimism for a successful political transition through the R-ARCSS is slowly eroding due to the resurgence of armed violence in some regions. CEPO urges the leadership to fulfill their constitutional obligations to establish peace and stability,” he emphasized.
Yakani also expressed concern that the tracking of the implementation of necessary tasks outlined in the agreement, including creating a conducive environment for holding elections, is significantly behind schedule.
“If the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS necessary for creating adequate conditions for holding elections by December 2026 are not completed by the deadline of October 22, 2025, the possibility of conducting the elections will diminish, posing a risk to the country,” he said.
