South Sudan: Bishops Call for Peace and Dialogue Ahead of December Elections

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a report from Agenzia Fides, says Catholic bishops in South Sudan have urged the country’s leaders and citizens to pursue peace and dialogue ahead of elections scheduled for Dec. 22, 2026. The appeal followed the bishops’ annual assembly in Juba, held from July 15 to 17, where they reviewed political, security and humanitarian pressures facing the country.

According to the report, the bishops cited a worsening economic situation, including a steep fall in the currency and rapidly rising costs for goods and services. They also pointed to continued violence involving armed groups and security forces, and raised concern about what they described as Uganda People’s Defence Forces activity along South Sudan’s southern borders.

The bishops said the election date falls close to Christmas and warned that the country faces a potential transitional and constitutional crisis whether or not the vote goes ahead. Their statement, released by Sr. Laurencila Akinyi of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anne, called for electoral decisions to be guided by dialogue, constitutional order, trust and the common good.

The report also says the bishops appealed for stronger support from the international community and humanitarian partners as food insecurity and recurrent floods continue to affect communities, damaging crops and livelihoods. They renewed calls for full implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement and urged South Sudanese people to reject violence, hatred, tribalism and misinformation.