[REVISION HISTORY]

South Sudan 2026 election rollout and security risks

Updated 16 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-02 10:41 UTC → 2026-10-17 11:16 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026, South Sudan announced its first national election would be held on 22 December 2026. The announcement highlighted persistent challenges such as institutional weakness, security concerns, and incomplete reforms, while noting that President Salva Kiir had declared his candidacy and the detained Vice-President Riek Machar remained on trial. In August 2026, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Wek Mamer Kuol tabled a constitutional amendment bill to decouple the vote from the completion of a permanent constitution and a national census. Following the signing of Constitutional Amendment No. 13 on 2 September, President Salva Kiir signed the amended National Elections Act into ~~law. This legislation removes requirements tying elections to~~ law, decoupling the vote from a ~~census or~~ permanent ~~constitution, allows President Kiir to retain full constitutional powers until a successor is elected, and extends voting rights to citizens living abroad.~~ constitution or census. On 22 ~~September 2026, President~~ September, Kiir ~~formally~~ dissolved the transitional unity government, ~~the national legislature, and all state governments and assemblies,~~ appointing a caretaker administration ~~consisting of 13 ministers~~ and ~~10 state governors. This move~~ effectively ~~ends~~ ending the 2018 power-sharing ~~arrangement established by~~ arrangement. During August, the ~~2018 peace deal, removing all vice-presidents, including Riek Machar, who remains under house arrest facing treason charges. While~~ European Union warned of a potential ‘legal limbo’ because the ~~judiciary~~ government bypassed required consultations with the National Constitutional Review Commission and ~~security institutions remain,~~ the ~~political shift has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, which urged authorities to protect civic space. On 28 September~~ Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission. Simultaneously, UN investigators reported a surge in civilian violence, documenting 418 deaths between April and June 2026, ~~addressing~~ and warned that the ~~United Nations General Assembly, caretaker foreign minister-designate Cecilia Adut Manyok reaffirmed~~ election could trigger further atrocities without inclusive dialogue. In late August, President Kiir directed the ~~government’s commitment~~ National Elections Commission to ~~the December vote, stating, “The ballot must replace the bullets.” She acknowledged remaining hurdles~~ accelerate preparations, including voter registration and civic education. By mid-October, Kiir briefed his caretaker cabinet on diplomatic efforts in Kenya and South Africa to secure technical election support, such as ~~voter registration, which has not yet commenced,~~ ballot boxes and digital IDs. Amidst these preparations, the ~~need~~ government implemented strict travel restrictions for ~~political dialogue~~ current and ~~security arrangements. In early October 2026, state-level caretaker structures began forming to support the election rollout.~~ former senior officials, requiring prior authorization for international travel and 48-hour notice for domestic movement. This follows unconfirmed allegations from community leader Gen. Mawien Mathiang Gor regarding a purported coup plot involving former Vice-President Benjamin Bol Mel.

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