South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir dissolved the country’s Transitional Government of National Unity on Tuesday.
In a series of presidential decrees broadcast on state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) television, Kiir appointed caretaker officials to oversee government functions as the country prepares for its first post-independence general elections in December.
President Kiir also appointed caretaker governors in 10 states and three administrative areas.
The move was intended to prevent a constitutional vacuum, with the transitional unity government’s current mandate expiring on Tuesday.
Peace agreement
The 2018 peace agreement, signed by warring parties to end the conflict in the country, requires the transitional government to conclude three months before elections.
The conflicts in South Sudan in 2013 and 2016 marked a devastating descent into civil war shortly after the country gained its independence in 2011.
Fighting began in Juba in December 2013 after President Kiir accused his dismissed former vice president Riek Machar of plotting a coup d’état. Machar denied the accusation.
South Sudan is scheduled to hold general elections on Dec. 22, though preparations for the vote have been delayed and political disagreements over the electoral process persist.
Pre-transitional period
The Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity was formed on Feb. 22, 2020 following the signing of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. The agreement provided for a 36-month transitional period after an eight-month pre-transitional period.
In September 2024, the parties, by consensus and in accordance with Article 8.4 of the Agreement, extended the transitional period by 24 months, from Feb. 22, 2025 to Feb. 22, 2027. They also rescheduled the elections to December 2026.
The extension was subsequently ratified by the Transitional National Legislature and assented to by the president of the Republic of South Sudan.
