When President Salva Kiir of South Sudan recently announced a panel tasked with preparing for long-delayed elections, one name on the list immediately raised eyebrows.
Steward Sorobo Budia, an opposition politician, was among approximately 70 individuals appointed to the panel last month. The glaring issue? Mr. Budia had passed away five years prior.
This remarkable error, which government officials swiftly moved to correct, serves as a stark illustration of the deep-seated chaos gripping South Sudan. In recent months, President Kiir’s administration has struggled to maintain stability as the country inches closer to another civil war.
Over the past 18 months, President Kiir has frequently dismissed or reshuffled high-ranking government officials, with some appointees serving only for days. His decision to arrest and put Vice President Riek Machar on trial has further jeopardized the 2018 peace deal, a cornerstone of South Sudan’s fragile political stability.
Relations with the United States have also soured, with Washington accusing President Kiir’s government of obstructing peace efforts and hindering humanitarian aid. Despite South Sudan’s earlier attempts to appease the Trump administration by accepting third-country deportees last summer, the diplomatic ties have deteriorated.
The ongoing political turmoil in the capital, Juba, has fueled renewed conflict between government forces and Mr. Machar’s loyalists in the northeastern regions, particularly in Jonglei and Upper Nile states.
As fighting intensified and approached Juba, the military responded with brutal force, including an airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital on February 3rd, according to the aid organization. More recently, government forces claim to have pushed back rebels and recaptured key towns in the northeast.
Critics point to President Kiir’s government as grossly incompetent, with his authority appearing dangerously weak. The incident involving the deceased election official suggests he is “out of touch, relying on outdated information and a shrinking pool of trusted allies,” noted Daniel Akech, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.
President Kiir’s frequent purges of senior aides have destabilized the country’s security apparatus, leaving him increasingly isolated and, at times, leading to gunfire in the streets of Juba.
A notable event was the firing of powerful spy chief Akol Koor Kuc in 2024. In November, another vice president and presumed successor, Benjamin Bol Mel, who is under U.S. sanctions, was also dismissed by Kiir.
At the recent African Union annual summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged President Kiir to release Mr. Machar, who has been under house arrest for nearly a year.
Since September, Mr. Machar has faced treason charges in a trial that his spokesman has condemned as a “political witch hunt.” President Kiir also removed Mr. Machar’s wife, Angelina Teny, a powerful figure in her own right, from her position as interior minister.
This month, Kenyan President William Ruto attempted to revitalize a stalled peace initiative for South Sudan in Nairobi, but these efforts have yet to yield results.
Until last year, the fragile peace in South Sudan was sustained by the 2018 agreement between Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar, who lead two influential ethnic groups. However, elections, postponed since 2015, have still not occurred. More recently, President Kiir has unilaterally altered crucial parts of the 2018 deal, a move analysts fear could dismantle the entire agreement.
Elections are currently set for December, but with the widespread fighting, a vote appears increasingly improbable.
Last year, a United Nations helicopter was attacked by an opposition militia, resulting in the deaths of a crew member and a South Sudanese general. Recent clashes have killed hundreds of civilians, leading to accusations of war crimes from human rights groups.
More than 400,000 people perished during the five-year South Sudanese civil war that concluded in 2018.
The nation’s troubles are exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan. South Sudan’s economy heavily relies on oil revenues, which are exported via pipelines crossing Sudan. These pipelines have been damaged or cut off due to the Sudanese civil war.
President Kiir’s authority is further challenged by emerging rebel factions threatening his overthrow. In the last two months, one such group has withdrawn from its peace agreement with the government.
Wilson Deng Kuoirot, a former deputy military chief, has vowed to form his own group unless President Kiir resigns. The United Nations has expressed concern that inflammatory statements from senior government officials could trigger further atrocities.