South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola is leading a High‑Level African Union (AU) Committee of Five (C5) mission in South Sudan to assess progress in implementing the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R‑ARCSS).
Lamola, who chairs the C5, arrived in Juba on Wednesday for a two‑day visit that forms part of the AU’s ongoing efforts to support South Sudan’s political transition ahead of the country’s first planned elections in December 2026.
The mission comes exactly one year after the committee’s previous assessment visit and precedes an AU Peace and Security Council meeting scheduled for 19 January where the situation in South Sudan will be reviewed.
The visit also takes place on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, during which a proposed C5‑Plus Summit is expected to convene.
The R‑ARCSS, signed in 2018, is the cornerstone of South Sudan’s peace process.
It seeks to end years of civil conflict through power‑sharing arrangements, security sector reforms, a permanent ceasefire and the establishment of a Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity.
While the agreement has reduced large‑scale fighting, implementation has been slow, with key provisions – including security unification and electoral preparations – still lagging.
“The year 2026 marks a pivotal moment for South Sudan as the country is earmarked to hold its first‑ever elections since gaining independence in 2011,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said.
“The role of the C5 is to oversee the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.”
Established by the AU Peace and Security Council in 2014 and formally launched in Johannesburg in 2015, the C5 is mandated to bolster the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s mediation efforts.
The committee comprises representatives from Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, and is chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The C5 engages directly with the South Sudanese government, opposition parties and other stakeholders to promote consensus and encourage adherence to the peace roadmap.
Lamola’s mission is expected to feed into regional deliberations on how the AU can further support South Sudan’s transition as the country approaches a critical electoral milestone.
JN/APA