President Cyril Ramaphosa: Opening Remarks on the Meeting of the African Union Ad-Hoc High-Level Committee on South Sudan

Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Your Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of South Sudan,
Your Excellency William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya,
Your Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Your Excellency Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security,
Your Excellency Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti and Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),
Your Excellency Workney Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD,
Your Excellency Veronica Nduva, Secretary-General of the East African Community,
Ministers,
Ambassadors,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the AU Ad-hoc High Level Committee for South Sudan (C5) Plus Summit.

I wish to thank my dear brother, President Salva Kiir Mayardit, for his presence here today. It is a demonstration of the President’s commitment to peace and stability in his country.

This is a landmark event – being convened jointly with the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and the East African Community (EAC).

This Committee has not met at the level of Heads of State since 2018 on the margins of the 31st Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly.

This was the same year that the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) was signed.

Eight years later, implementation of the Revitalised Agreement remains slow. As guarantors of the Revitalised Agreement and as sister countries, we are here to support the peace process in South Sudan, the youngest member of our Union.

We felt it was vital that we expand the meeting to include member states from IGAD and the IGAD Secretariat, considering that they are the primary regional mediator of the Revitalised Agreement. Furthermore, the C5 was established to enhance the mediation efforts of IGAD.

Allow me to acknowledge the critical role played by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) since 2011.

UNMISS has been supporting the peace process, preventing conflict, protecting civilians and facilitating humanitarian access. We thank the Secretary-General of the UN for his presence and look forward to his contribution.

Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are outside of the C5 but are heavily invested in the stability of South Sudan; and it is critical that we coordinate efforts.

This year is a pivotal one for South Sudan, with elections set for December 2026. We welcome

the government of South Sudan’s stated intention to hold elections and to convene a national dialogue to resolve outstanding issues before elections are held.

The people of South Sudan yearn to live in a peaceful and prosperous country; and elections alone will not guarantee lasting peace.

Firstly, a conducive political and security environment is vital. Violence and conflict at any stage will undermine confidence and derail the process.

Secondly, the political processes such as the national dialogue and legal processes must be genuinely inclusive.

They must bring together all signatories and stakeholders to the Revitalisation Agreement so that decisions reflect broad ownership, credibility and legitimacy.

This C5 Plus Summit must send a clear, unified message that calls on all stakeholders to enter into dialogue without delay.

We wish to encourage measures that will build unity, including all options to facilitate reconciliation. The C5 supports the proposal that the Chairperson of the AU Commission should appoint a former Head of State to mediate amongst the signatory parties to the Revitalisation Agreement – and to facilitate dialogue between President Kiir and Dr Riek Machar.

We stand ready to support mediation, to monitor implementation and to coordinate our efforts.

A focused, oversight mechanism involving the C5 and IGAD would help track progress and report back to the Heads of State.

Excellencies,

The choices made in the coming months will determine whether South Sudan moves towards durable peace or back into cycles of instability.

Let us act with urgency, courage and unity. Let us use this Summit to foster a process that delivers inclusive dialogue, free, fair and credible elections and sustainable peace for the people of South Sudan.

I look forward to our discussions.

I thank you.

#GovZAUpdates