By Alan Clement
President Salva Kiir Mayardit is set to engage regional leaders on South Sudan’s fragile security and political climate as the C5 Plus bloc meets during the 39th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.
According to the Presidency, the high-level engagement will focus on reviewing the “current security and political situations in the Republic of South Sudan” and assessing how to consolidate progress made under the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement.
In a statement to the press at Juba International Airport before departure, the Chief Administrator in the Office of the President, Marik Nanga Marik, said President Kiir would attend the C5 Plus meeting chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The discussions, focusing on the current security and political situations in the Republic of South Sudan,” Marik stated.
While specific security incidents or political flashpoints that prompted the review, the framing of the discussion’s underscores continued regional oversight of South Sudan’s transitional process.
The Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in 2018, remains the primary framework guiding the country’s transition, including security sector reforms, constitutional-making, and preparations for elections.
The upcoming C5 Plus session is likely to evaluate progress on transitional security arrangements, the unification and deployment of forces, and the broader political climate as the country advances toward electoral milestones.
Regional actors have consistently positioned stability in South Sudan as critical to wider Horn of Africa security dynamics.
President Kiir’s participation in the discussion’s signals Juba’s continued engagement with continental mechanisms under the auspices of the African Union.
The summit itself is being held under the theme: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation System to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” but the C5 Plus meeting places South Sudan’s internal stability squarely on the diplomatic agenda.
The Presidency emphasized that the C5 Plus will examine how to “consolidate the gains” achieved so far, suggesting a focus not only on compliance with peace benchmarks but also on sustaining relative calm in parts of the country where large-scale hostilities have declined since the 2018 agreement.
President Kiir was seen off at Juba International Airport by Vice President for Infrastructure Cluster Taban Deng Gai and is accompanied by senior government officials.
The outcome of the C5 Plus deliberations is expected to signal whether regional leaders view South Sudan’s transition as on track or in need of intensified support and oversight mechanisms.