The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has received a comprehensive briefing on the shifting political and humanitarian situation in South Sudan from the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, Jakaya Kikwete.

The former Tanzanian President briefed the Chairperson following a series of extensive consultations with South Sudanese stakeholders and regional leaders. His recent diplomatic engagements included meetings with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit in Juba, as well as the leaders of Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Kikwete also held talks with international partners, including the United Nations, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the European Union, and the Troika, to push for co-ordinated global backing for the country’s peace process.

The high-level briefing focused heavily on the full and faithful implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, which remains the primary framework for achieving long-term stability and democratic transition. Kikwete outlined both progress and lingering hurdles concerning critical transitional benchmarks, specifically security sector reforms, the constitution-making process, the expansion of civic space, and electoral preparations.

Commending Kikwete’s sustained diplomatic efforts, Youssouf reaffirmed the AU’s steadfast support for the region and urged all South Sudanese parties to honour their commitments under the peace pact. He recalled that the C5 meeting chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2026 had firmly re-established the revitalised agreement as the paramount framework to guide South Sudan toward democratic governance, emphasizing that dialogue and timely transitional measures remain vital for lasting peace.

–ChannelAfrica/AU–