South Sudan: Analyst Urges Pardon for Machar, Political Prisoners Before Elections

A South Sudanese policy analyst on Wednesday called on the government to pardon political detainees, including former First Vice President Riek Machar, and bring opposition groups into an inclusive political process ahead of the country’s planned December elections. Boboya James Edimond, a policy and political analyst and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Social Policy Research, said elections alone would not resolve South Sudan’s political crises unless they are accompanied by reconciliation and the inclusion of political groups that are currently outside the 2018 peace agreement. “The government needs to do more genuinely in the interest of unity, reconciliation and genuine inclusivity,” he stated. He called for the pardon of political detainees and urged the government to encourage political groups that are not party to the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) to return to the political process. Boboya’s call comes as South Sudan prepares for elections scheduled for December 22, following President Salva Kiir’s dissolution of the transitional unity government on September 22 and the appointment of a caretaker administration. Machar and other vice presidents were removed from their positions as part of the changes. Machar remains on trial in Juba alongside seven co-defendants over violence in Nasir, Upper Nile State, in March 2025. They face charges including treason, murder, conspiracy, terrorism, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity, which they have denied. Boboya said the government should instead use the current political period to reach out to its political opponents and rebuild trust before the elections. “Let us adopt a new spirit to move forward,” he said. “Let us not use the dialogue as a way of eating money from the system, but let us see the dialogue as a way of resolving problems.” His comments come as political parties and other stakeholders participate in an inter-party dialogue in Juba ahead of the elections. Some opposition groups and civil society organisations have separately called for a more inclusive national political dialogue involving the government, opposition movements and other stakeholders. Boboya also called for the fulfilment of outstanding provisions of the 2018 peace agreement, saying unresolved political and institutional issues could undermine efforts to achieve lasting stability. He urged political parties seeking power through the elections to make written commitments on issues including completing the permanent constitution-making process, reforming local government, strengthening public financial management and establishing stronger checks and balances among state institutions. He also called for the judiciary, parliament and executive to operate independently, arguing that a functioning constitutional system would provide peaceful mechanisms for resolving political disputes. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has similarly warned that elections without adequate political and human rights safeguards could fuel further political confrontation and armed violence. The commission has called for genuine and inclusive dialogue involving political adversaries, including supporters of Machar. Boboya said South Sudan needed to move away from political confrontation and instead build a system based on constitutionalism, accountability and inclusion. “Build bridges instead of destroying them, reach out instead of cutting communications, and let us discuss as a family,” he said.