South Sudan to amend peace deal, constitution amid SPLM-IO backlash

JUBA – South Sudan’s Presidency has announced a sweeping plan to amend key provisions of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and the Transitional Constitution as part of a determined push to deliver long-delayed national elections in 2026 in a move which sparked immediate backlash from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), which says it was excluded from the process and does not recognise the decisions.

The controversial resolutions emerged from an expanded Presidency meeting held on December 10 in Juba, chaired by President Salva Kiir and attended by senior officials and political parties allied to the peace agreement.

Minister of Presidential Affairs Africano Mande, delivering the communiqué on Friday, 12 December 2025, framed the meeting as a rare display of unity among the signatories and a critical step toward finally preparing the country for its first national vote since independence.

“These resolutions are the product of an expanded meeting of the Presidency,” Mande said, adding that all attending parties had endorsed the decisions.

He emphasised that there would be “no further extension of the R-ARCSS transitional period beyond the current agreed timeline”, signalling a firm departure from past delays justified by the so-called “conditions not yet conducive” for elections.

The Presidency also announced plans to amend specific sections of both the peace agreement and the 2011 Transitional Constitution. A new committee will be tasked with drafting the amendments and presenting them to all political parties, while also acting as a mechanism to resolve disputes that may arise during implementation. Officials said the move is intended to create a legal framework adequate for nationwide elections by December 2026.

Government highlights unity and urgency

Officials portrayed the meeting as a milestone in restoring political momentum, emphasising the need to complete transitional security arrangements under Chapter Two of the R-ARCSS, which have been delayed for years. Mr Mande directed immediate action to deploy unified forces, stabilise local communities, and ensure that logistical and financial obstacles do not impede election preparations.

“The communiqué shows the shared will of our leaders to deliver credible elections and transition South Sudan to an elected government,” Mande said, also noting the urgent release of funds for the National Elections Commission to accelerate planning.

For the government, the resolutions represent both a political statement and a pragmatic acknowledgement that some components of the peace deal — including security unification and remaining institutional reforms — may extend into the post-election period.

SPLM-IO rejects resolutions as illegitimate

Within 24 hours of the announcement, the SPLM-IO issued a strongly worded statement rejecting the resolutions and questioning the legitimacy of the December 10 meeting.

The statement, issued on December 11 by Joseph Malwal Dong, the SPLM-IO Political Bureau Focal Person, said no SPLM-IO officials attended the meeting, and that First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, the party’s leader, remains under confinement and on trial.

The SPLM-IO argued that the High-Level Standing Committee overseeing peace implementation had been reconstituted without its representation following Machar’s arrest, effectively excluding the party from the decision-making process.

“Therefore, the Extended Presidency Meeting lacked inclusivity, and decisions made are not binding,” the SPLM-IO statement said. It further accused the government of attempting to amend the R-ARCSS as part of “a grand strategy to dismantle the peace agreement once and for all,” using the pretext of elections to rally other parties around the idea.

A fragile path to elections

The conflicting positions highlight the deepening mistrust between the government and one of the key signatories of the peace agreement. While the Presidency insists the electoral timeline is fixed and that the amendments are necessary for legal and logistical readiness, the SPLM-IO warns that the process risks undermining the legitimacy of both the peace agreement and the upcoming elections.

Security remains a major concern. Despite repeated commitments since 2018, transitional security arrangements are still incomplete. Localised violence, uneven troop deployments, and unresolved administrative issues could disrupt polling and threaten the credibility of the vote.

Analysts say the SPLM-IO’s boycott of the meeting and its refusal to endorse the resolutions could further complicate preparations, making it difficult to claim a truly inclusive electoral process. Constitutional amendments and legal reforms require broad consensus, and any attempt to proceed without full participation risks legal challenges and renewed political instability.

Earlier this week, the parties to the peace agreement announced that they will forego the census and permanent constitution-making processes to expedite the electoral process. The decision to amend the peace agreement and the Interim Constitution adds to the controversies engulfing the embattled Juba regime.