Civil society leader urges parties to implement pending peace tasks by 2025

JUBA – A prominent South Sudan civil society leader on Monday called on the parties to the revitalized peace agreement and the government to accelerate the implementation of pending tasks from the 2018 revitalized peace agreement to enable general elections by December 2026.

Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), issued a statement urging parties to fast-track key measures, including the unification of forces, constitutional review, electoral law amendments, geographical constituency demarcation, and a national population census.

“The tasks are, at least by the month of October 2025, the country will have completed unification of forces. Secondly, the country has completed the constitutional making process. Thirdly, the country has completed amendment of the electoral law,” Yakani said in a statement to Sudans Post.

Yakani warned that without the completion of these critical tasks, prospects for holding peaceful and credible elections by December 2026 are slim.

“Fourthly, the country has completed demarcation of geographical constituencies. Fourthly, the country has completed its population census. If we need elections to be conducted in December 2026, then these tasks are needed to be completed by October 2025. Otherwise, if we fail to accomplish these tasks by October 2025, then the chances of us holding peaceful and credible elections in December 2026 are limited,” he said.

Yakani also cautioned that failure to meet these deadlines could erode the government’s legitimacy and lead to discussions on a caretaker government, stressing that further extensions should not be expected.

“That means we will be talking about the end of the political legitimacy of the incumbent government. That means we’ll be talking about a caretaker government because there is no more extension. That’s why we are alerting the parties that please double your efforts,” Yakani added.

The activist highlighted the need to review the election timeline and ensure timely implementation of the transitional period’s remaining tasks.

“The plan does not show that you are committed to deliver elections by December 2026. The plan shows us that there’s a dirty game behind the timeline that we have seen,” he said.

“We are appealing to the leadership of the party that time has come for us to openly, honestly, and sincerely discuss development of a very clear, defined timeline that heads towards holding peaceful and credible elections.”