Key facts
- South Sudan President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional government, parliament, and national and state governments.
- The dissolution occurred three months before the country's first elections since independence in 2011.
- Kiir removed the country's five vice-presidents.
- Kiir will remain in office with full constitutional powers until an elected president is sworn in.
- The chairman of the national elections commission, Abednego Akok Kacuol, was dismissed.
- The SPLM-IO warned against participation in poll preparations.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has dissolved the transitional government, including the five vice-presidents and parliament, three months ahead of the country's first general election since independence in 2011. The elections, scheduled for December, have been postponed twice before, and the transitional period has been extended multiple times.
Under an amended law signed on Monday, Kiir removed all vice-presidents, dissolved parliament, and dissolved national and state governments. He will continue to hold full constitutional powers until a new president is sworn in. Some ministers and governors have been reappointed to caretaker positions until the December 22 elections.
Ahead of the announcement, a heavy security presence was reported in the capital, Juba, with soldiers blocking access to government ministries and patrolling the city. Staff arriving at work were reportedly turned away, and UN agencies advised employees to work remotely.
Last week, Kiir dismissed the chairman of the national elections commission, Abednego Akok Kacuol, without stating a reason. Kacuol had previously indicated that the commission required $250 million to conduct the election but had only received $21 million. The main opposition group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by Riek Machar, has warned against participation in poll preparations, with its acting chairperson stating that anyone campaigning in territories controlled by the group would be considered a prisoner of war.
Riek Machar, who was previously sacked as vice-president last year and charged with treason, remains under house arrest. He had been reinstated as vice-president as part of a 2018 peace deal aimed at ending a five-year civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar. The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), which oversees the 2018 peace agreement, described South Sudan as entering a "critical phase" and urged parties to complete outstanding talks to ensure credible elections and a peaceful end to the transitional period.