President Salva Kiir of South Sudan has confirmed that the country’s much-delayed elections will proceed as scheduled next year.
President Kiir himself has announced his intention to seek re-election, marking the first elections since South Sudan gained independence.
While no other candidate has formally declared their candidacy, it is expected that First Vice-President Riek Machar will also participate in the race.
Since South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after a protracted civil war, President Kiir has held the presidency.
However, the nation continued to experience internal strife, leading to a renewed civil war in 2013 when President Kiir and Mr. Machar’s relationship deteriorated.
In an effort to bring an end to the five-year civil war, a power-sharing agreement was signed between the conflicting parties in August 2018.
The mandate of the transitional government, which was due to end in 2022, was extended to allow the leaders to address challenges with the implementation of the peace agreement.
On Tuesday, Mr Kiir said those challenges would be addressed “before the elections” set for December next year.