Election Could Be Marred by Guns, Catholic Bishop Warns

[John Ashworth]

South Sudan's First-Ever General Election Could Be Marred by Guns on
Politicians' Shoulders, Catholic Bishop Warns

By Agnes Aineah
Nairobi, 29 July, 2026 / 11:50 pm (ACI Africa).

Politicians in South Sudan and the groups they lead are heading into
the country's first-ever general election in a climate of armed
tension, Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kussala of the Catholic Diocese of
Tombura-Yambio (CDTY) has warned, questioning the country's readiness
for the December 22 poll.

In an interview with ACI Africa, Bishop Hiiboro said some political
leaders continue to command separate armed groups, raising fears that
those who reject the election outcome could resort to violence rather
than accept the results.

The South Sudanese Catholic Bishop spoke to ACI Africa on the
political climate in South Sudan on the sidelines of the 21st AMECEA
Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in
Eastern Africa (AMECEA) that was held between July 19-26 at the
Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Kenya’s Catholic
Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN).

He said that reconciliation among different political parties is key
in ensuring that South Sudan is ready for the planned elections.

“There are a lot of things that need to be done before an election
that have not yet been done in South Sudan. Most of the structures
that are required for an election are still missing,” Bishop Hiiboro
said during the July 23 interview.

“We are requesting the government to pick up reconciliation with the
parties, if this election must happen. Parties shouldn't go into the
election while they have huge, sharp divisions among themselves. It
won't help because it will show up quickly during the election,” he
said.

The Catholic Bishop of Tombura-Yambio Diocese said he finds it
disturbing that, just months before South Sudan's long-awaited general
election, many political leaders continue to maintain their own armed
groups.

“How do you go into an election with a gun hanging on your shoulder?”
he posed, and added, “If you lose, will you not turn back to the gun?”

“The best thing is for these political leaders to reconcile among
themselves. Only then can we confidently step into an election. We as
the Church are ready to help in this process of reconciliation,” he
said.

The world’s newest country that gained independence from Sudan on 9
July 2011 and plunged into civil war in December 2013 had scheduled
general elections before February 2023.

South Sudan’s Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity
(RTGoNU) had been formed in February 2020 in line with the September
2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South
Sudan (R-ARCSS).

An agreement between the RTGoNU and the opposition was to postpone the
elections to late 2024. Another postponement was reported, “owing to
the continual delays in implementing crucial aspects of the 2018 peace
agreement.”

Announcing the new date for election following the 2024 postponement,
South Sudan’s National Election Commission (NEC) said in June that the
decision was made in accordance with the country’s electoral laws and
the provisions of the peace agreement guiding South Sudan’s political
transition.

In the July 23 interview with ACI Africa, Bishop Hiiboro said the
announcement of the election “is supposed to be good news,” but
cautioned that a lot could also go wrong.

“When there is an election, people will think that they are finally
going to choose people they desire to lead them. But this may end up
not being the case,” he said, and added, “Sometimes elections can be
the beginning of a crisis. They can be the beginning of killing
people. And we are praying and hoping that this should not happen.”

Asked whether South Sudan is finally ready for elections, the South
Sudanese Catholic Church leader replied, “I cannot say that South
Sudan is finally ready for an election. But the government says the
country has to go to the polls.”

He, however, clarified, “As it is, going for an election could cause
problems. But again, not going for this election is still causing
problems. So, one or the other must be done.”

Bishop Hiiboro told ACI Africa that he is yet to see any tangible
signs that the South Sudanese government is adequately preparing for
the country's first-ever general election.

“What we have only heard is the president say that they are reforming
the constitution to open the way for the election. But no civic
education has started. There's nothing mentioned about the
registration. There's nothing yet being done to prepare the people who
will be monitoring the elections,” he said.

The Local Ordinary of Tombura-Yambio Diocese since his Episcopal
Consecration in June 2008 said that he had heard the government say
that it lacks money to conduct the poll.

Cautioning against looking outside for funds to have the planned
election, he said, “If you allow different people to give you money
for the election, won’t those people have power over you? You allow
your country to be financed for the election, isn’t that selling the
government of South Sudan?”

Asked whether he has observed any major political shifts since the
election date was announced, Bishop Hiiboro said, “So far, I haven’t
seen any campaigns. Not many political parties have been registered. I
think the challenge is the registration fees required which happens to
be very high for most people. This, I believe, is a way of
discouraging those who would really love to have their parties
registered.”

The South Sudanese Catholic Bishop appealed to citizens of the world’s
youngest nation to see the beauty of their country and its people
above any political interest.

“Elections will come and go but the country and its people will still
be here,” he said, and appealed, “I am calling for reconciliation,
understanding the people and the politicians before we go for the
election.”

According to him, “If we see we are not able to work together, then we
can delay the election. If we could know that going to this election
will bring war all over again, then it would be prudent that we wait.”

Catholic Bishops in South Sudan have been consistent in their call for
reconciliation ahead of the country’s election, Bishop Hiiboro went on
to say, adding that apart from the pastoral messages they have been
sending out, Catholic Church leaders organize individual contact with
South Sudanese leaders and influencers.

“We try to meet, in person, those leaders we believe have power
influence over the masses and we talk to them in the absence of the
media and cameras. We have found this approach to be very fruitful
because nobody wants to be exposed to be like the obstacle against
peace,” Bishop Hiiboro told ACI Africa.

The Local Ordinary of the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio, who also chairs
the Commission for the Promotion of Integral Human Development of the
Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC), said
that, recognizing that South Sudan's political groupings are "sharply
opposed to each other," faith leaders first engage each side
separately before facilitating dialogue among them.

“I can’t count the number of times I have gone inside bushes to talk
to rebels into coming back home. I have completely dodged guns to get
deep into bushes to work on young people who took arms to fight. Many
times, the success has been huge,” Bishop Hiiboro told ACI Africa on
July 23.

https://www.aciafrica.org/news/23233/south-sudans-first-ever-general-election-could-be-marred-by-guns-on-politicians-shoulders-catholic-bishop-warns

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