![President Salva Kiir Mayardit speaking at the presidency to deliver his annual Independence Day message. [Photo by presidency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/292771689_1098109997483725_207300231018226861_n.jpg?resize=850%2C433&quality=89&ssl=1)
In an address marking South Sudan’s Martyrs Day on this morning, Kiir said that the country had reached a “critical phase” in the consolidation of peace and that there would be no return to war.
“The path forward for the country is elections in 2024. I know there are voices that question our resolve to hold elections,” he said.
“But to those voices, I say for the good of our country, we must work to exit from perpetual transitional government status. And elections are the only way out of this,” he added.
Kiir, who is the ruling SPLM party candidate for the would-be December 2024 elections, further called on other political groups in the country to allow citizens to choose their leaders through democratic elections which he said will take place next year.
“I am urging all the political forces in the country to focus on using the current period provided by the Roadmap to give our citizens the power to choose their leaders democratically next year,” he said.
The president acknowledged the sacrifices of the martyrs to attain South Sudan’s independence.
“On this day, it is incumbent upon us the living to emulate and be guided by the selfless action of our martyrs as we struggle to move the country forward,” Kiir said. “We must never forget the sacrifices they made for our freedom and democracy.”
The 2024 elections will be the first time that South Sudan has held a vote since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011. The country has been plagued by civil war since 2013, and the elections are seen as a major test of the country’s fragile peace process.
