Friday, 31 July 2026 | Author: Joseph Oduha | Reuters | GT-News |
South Sudan’s People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) has launched one of its strongest attacks yet on President Salva Kiir’s government, accusing it of failing to deliver peace, democracy and economic recovery while pushing the country toward another cycle of conflict.
In a statement marking Martyrs’ Day and the fifth anniversary of the coalition, PCCA said President Kiir’s administration has presided over a “profound failure of leadership,” alleging that state institutions have been captured by a political elite more interested in retaining power than serving citizens. The group accused the government of suppressing democratic freedoms, fuelling corruption and using the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement to prolong its rule instead of implementing long-promised reforms.
The coalition said the detention and exclusion of one of the principal signatories to the peace agreement has stripped the transitional government of its legitimacy, arguing that it can no longer credibly describe itself as a Government of National Unity. It warned that South Sudan is once again on the brink of renewed violence.
PCCA also revived a key recommendation from the National Dialogue, calling on President Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar to step aside in the national interest and allow a new political leadership to guide the country out of crisis. The group said conditions have deteriorated since it first made the call five years ago, making political change even more urgent.
The coalition accused the government of neglecting basic public services while corruption deepens and public debt rises. It said teachers, health workers and civil servants remain unpaid, security forces have been abandoned, and the country’s natural resources are being mismanaged instead of benefiting ordinary South Sudanese.
Calling for peaceful, non-violent civic action, PCCA urged South Sudanese to reclaim democratic governance and appealed to the African Union, IGAD, the United Nations and other international partners to support the aspirations of the South Sudanese people rather than relying solely on political agreements among the country’s leaders.
