The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) has called on African Union (AU) leaders to step up direct engagement to defuse South Sudan’s deepening political crisis.
Speaking in Juba Monday during a visit by a high-level AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) delegation, RJMEC Chief of Staff Ambassador Berhanu Kebede urged the AU and its High-Level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan (AU C5) to push for dialogue, facilitate de-escalation, and reinforce the observance of the Permanent Ceasefire.
The mission comes amid rising tensions between rival factions, including the March house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar.
Kebede warned that unresolved provisions of the 2018 peace deal—such as the unification of armed forces, constitutional drafting, and election preparations—risk undermining the credibility of elections slated for December 2026. He stressed the urgency of funding key bodies, including the National Constitutional Review Commission and the National Elections Commission, to maintain momentum toward democratic governance.
“The long-suffering people of South Sudan yearn for lasting peace and security,” he said, calling for coordinated regional backing to safeguard the country’s fragile stability.
