PCCA Says South Sudan’s Sovereignty Belongs to Its People

 

JUBA — South Sudan’s civil rights movement, the People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA), has pushed back against the Office of the President’s latest remarks on the country’s peace process, sovereignty, and elections, insisting that sovereignty belongs to the people of South Sudan.

The PCCA statement came after the Office of President Salva Kiir Mayardit warned against what it described as foreign pressure on South Sudan, stressing that the country’s international partnerships must respect its sovereignty and its right to determine its own affairs.

The civil rights movement issued a statement on Friday accusing the government of using sovereignty to shield itself from accountability.

“The government is not the state, the presidency is not the nation, and sovereignty does not belong to any individual or political establishment. Sovereignty belongs to the people,” read part of the statement.

The coalition said it agrees in principle that South Sudan’s political future belongs to its people but stressed that citizens should have a meaningful role in shaping the country’s political system rather than simply being called upon to vote at the end of the process.

The PCCA welcomed the call for elections but questioned whether polls can be credible without major political and institutional reforms.

“Elections cannot become a convenient instrument for legitimizing an unreformed political order,” it said.

The group said free, fair, and credible elections require adequate security, political freedoms, functioning electoral institutions, an agreed-upon constitutional framework, sufficient civic space, and a level political playing field.

It also rejected what it described as attempts to attribute the prolonged transitional period solely to unresolved political differences.

The PCCA said South Sudanese have repeatedly called for peace, constitutional governance, and elections, arguing that political leaders bear responsibility for delays in implementing reforms and advancing the transition process.

The coalition called for an inclusive national political dialogue aimed at reaching a binding political settlement that reflects the interests and aspirations of South Sudanese.

It said political parties and armed groups should participate in the process but stressed that women, youth, civil society, traditional leaders, faith-based groups, professionals, displaced persons, rural and urban communities, and the diaspora must also be meaningfully represented.

“International partners should support and guarantee such a process, but South Sudanese must define its substance and its destination,” the PCCA said.

The coalition also criticized South Sudan’s security and economic systems, calling for comprehensive security-sector reforms, stronger accountability, and responsible management of the country’s national resources.

It argued that establishing institutions alone is not enough, citing concerns over institutional capture, concentration of power, corruption, insecurity, and declining public confidence in state institutions.

The PCCA said genuine sovereignty should be measured by the government’s ability to protect its citizens, uphold the rule of law, manage public resources responsibly, and ensure that people have a meaningful voice in political decision-making.

“Sovereignty is not a slogan. It is a responsibility,” the coalition said.

The group called for a strictly time-bound transition, comprehensive institutional and security-sector reforms, economic recovery, national reconciliation, the adoption of a permanent constitution, and free and fair elections.

The PCCA also warned against conflating the sovereignty of South Sudan with the interests of the government, stressing that national sovereignty ultimately belongs to the people.

“South Sudan needs partnership, but not dependency; sovereignty, but not impunity; elections, but not political theater. The sovereignty of South Sudan will be secure when the sovereignty of its citizens is secure.”