Amnesty International urged South Sudan authorities on Tuesday to protect fundamental freedoms and civic space in order to ensure the legitimacy of the upcoming elections scheduled for December 22, 2026.

Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, stated :

Ahead of these long-awaited and historic elections, South Sudanese authorities must ensure that a conducive environment exists for people to vote and stand in elections, including respect for and enjoyment of human rights, and freedom from discrimination and arbitrary or unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions.

Chagutah further urged authorities to take the necessary measures to guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and to cease the intimidation of journalists and civil society actors, emphasising the necessity for authorities to establish conditions that enable citizens to participate in public affairs without fear. Relatedly, he pointed to South Sudan’s record of previous repressive measures and restrictions imposed by authorities to silence dissent and critics.

Finally, Amnesty International’s Regional Director highlighted that the legitimacy of any elections depends not only on their occurrence but also on whether people can exercise their rights freely, safely and equally.

The upcoming general elections in South Sudan are a long-awaited event and the first to occur since the country officially split from Sudan in 2011. The election date has previously been postponed five times due to various factors, including the outbreak of the civil war in 2013. Although a peace agreement was achieved in 2018, the situation continued to deteriorate, with violence escalating toward a potential full-scale war. Additionally, in August, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan reported intensified clashes between warring parties as the elections approach. On September 12, the persistence of violence prompted the UN to issue another warning about the situation, reporting several atrocities perpetrated against civilians.

In July, President Salva Kiir Mayardit enacted a law amending the 2018 peace agreement by removing previously required conditions for holding elections, such as the national population census and the creation of a constitution, deferring both processes until after elections. On September 22, the president dissolved the South Sudanese transitional government, citing the need to avoid another extension of the transitional period and to move the country toward general elections.