OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL
December 17, 2025
(UPA) PLAN OF ACTION TO GALVANISE THE PEACE PROCESS IN THE REPUBLIC OF
SOUTH SUDAN
Recent developments in South Sudan point to an accelerated phase of political decay and a
dangerous slide toward chaos. The country’s persistent crisis stems from the Juba regime’s
intransigence and refusal to accept a credible roadmap for a transition to sustainable peace,
democracy and good governance. In pursuit of this objective, the regime has systematically
undermined the implementation of all peace agreements and initiatives including the Revitalized
Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS)Santi’Egidio-Rome, and
Tumaini
The underlying motivation for this deliberate political paralysis is clear: the regime seeks to
retain illegitimate power for as long as possible. Both the R-ARCSS and the Tumaini Initiative
offer viable pathways toward a democratic transition, yet the regime—having created the current
political impasse—lacks confidence in its ability to prevail in competitive elections. It has
therefore resorted to obstructing peace and sabotaging democratic processes. This explains the
sustained efforts to frustrate the Tumaini Initiative and the relentless, systematic dismantling of
the R-ARCSS.
To restore peace and realize a transition to democracy in South Sudan, the United People’s
Alliance (UPA) proposes the following Seven-Point Peace Plan as a minimum and viable way
forward:
The Seven- Point Action Plan
1. Hold a National Political Dialogue.
A national political dialogue is a prerequisite for a transition to peace and stability,
constitution-making and credible elections. This dialogue must be broad-based and genuinely
inclusive, bringing together all political forces and stakeholders to rebuild trust and forge a
shared national vision. It is through such dialogue that the conditions for peace, a legitimate
constitutional process, and democratic elections can be created and agreed to by all the
stakeholders. Any attempt by the regime in Juba to organize elections without first securing a
political mandate through inclusive dialogue is a mere façade and cannot produce a legitimate
or democratic outcome.
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2. Open political and civic space.
South Sudan cannot hold credible elections while political and civic spaces remain closed; doing
so would be a mockery of democracy. If the regime in Juba is sincere about democratic
transition, it must immediately open these spaces, beginning with the unconditional release of
all political detainees, including SPLM-IO leaders and others arbitrarily held. Constitutional
freedoms of association, assembly, and expression must be guaranteed without restriction.
Political parties must be free to register, organize, hold public rallies, and campaign, while civil
society and the media must operate without intimidation or repression. The state must cease
harassment, arbitrary detention, and violence against political opponents, journalists, and civic
actors. Equally essential is nationwide demilitarization: the army, security services, and other
organized forces must withdraw from civilian spaces and return to their barracks, leaving
day-to-day civilian interaction to the police. The presence of the military in public spaces has no
place in a democratic society.
3. Defer selected provisions of the R-ARCSS.
For the past seven years, the regime in Juba has instrumentalized the R-ARCSS to evade
genuine political dialogue and to stall democratic transition through subversion, paralysis, and
systematic dismantling of the Agreement and undermining the other peace initiatives like Rome
and Tumaini. While we accept in principle that certain provisions of the R-ARCSS may be
deferred to a post-election government, there can be no genuine democratic transition without
an inclusive political dialogue, the adoption of a permanent constitution, and the conduct of
elections. Any transition that bypasses constitution-making is inherently ill-intentioned and will
inevitably reproduce another iteration of authoritarian rule which may lead to unprecedented
violence and to possible disintegration of South Sudan. The R-ARCSS must no longer be used
to delay the transition to peace and democracy or to entrench dictatorship through backdoor
maneuvers. Such short-sighted tactics must be rejected outright.
4. Write the Permanent Constitution.
The only viable pathway out of South Sudan’s crisis is through a negotiated constitutional
settlement. There can be no democratic transition without a legitimate permanent constitution,
and the current constitutional framework lies at the heart of the country’s instability and must
therefore be replaced. Conducting elections outside a democratic constitutional order would be
a grave betrayal of the people’s sovereignty. The constitution must come first—it must give birth
to the elections, not the other way around—and this requirement is non-negotiable.
For the constitution-making process to carry legitimacy, it must be genuinely inclusive, with
South Sudanese in the Diaspora afforded the same opportunity as those at home to shape its
content. Given the urgency of the moment and the 2026 electoral timeline, the Resolutions and
Recommendations of the South Sudan National Dialogue Conference (3–17 November 2020)
and the agreed-upon Tumaini Eight Protocols should serve as key reference points. Above all,
a credible constitutional process must be grounded in peace and preceded by inclusive political
dialogue.
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5. Conduct Elections.
The regime in Juba has no more than twelve months to undertake an inclusive national political
dialogue, finalize the permanent constitution, and conduct elections by December 2026. To
meet this deadline, all processes must commence by the beginning of 2026, with the full
mobilization of national political will and financial resources directed toward these priorities. The
government must also grant UNMISS an enhanced and unhindered role in supporting the
National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC) and the National Elections Commission
(NEC) to enable them to discharge their mandates effectively, credibly, and within the required
timeframe.
6. Establish a Special Fund for Constitution-Making and Elections
The government has repeatedly cited “lack of funds” as a justification for the slow pace of
R-ARCSS implementation. To remove this excuse and ensure progress, a Special Fund should
be established from South Sudanese resources with the contribution from the region, the AU
and the rest of the International Community, under the auspices of the African Union (AU) and
the United Nation, to finance the constitution-making process and the conduct of elections. This
mechanism would guarantee adequate, transparent, and timely funding for these critical
national priorities and prevent financial constraints from being used to obstruct the transition to
peace and democracy.
7. Expand the UNMISS Mandate to Include Election Protection.
Given the deeply polarized political environment engineered by the regime in Juba, the
pervasive climate of distrust, and the severely fractured social fabric, the UPA calls on the UN
Security Council to strengthen the UNMISS mandate to include robust protection and policing
for genuinely competitive, free, and fair elections. Without such safeguards, any electoral
process will be reduced to a façade—amounting to little more than the coronation of the
incumbent president and the conferral of false legitimacy on continued autocratic rule.
In conclusion, the United People’s Alliance affirms that South Sudan stands at a decisive
crossroads. The choice before the country is stark: continue down a path of violence, political
manipulation, constitutional subversion, and entrenched autocracy, or commit—without
delay—to an inclusive, lawful, and people-centered transition to peace and democracy. The
measures outlined above are neither radical nor optional; they represent the minimum
conditions required to restore peace, reclaim popular sovereignty, reconcile and unite the nation
and rebuild the state on constitutional and democratic foundations. The UPA calls upon South
Sudanese leaders, the region, and the international community to act with urgency and resolve
in defense of the will of the South Sudanese people and to ensure that this transition leads not
to another failed experiment, but to a peaceful, legitimate, democratic future.
Lual Dau Machar
Secretary General
United People’s Alliance (UPA)
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