South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has dissolved the country's transitional unity government and appointed a caretaker administration to oversee the country's first-ever national elections, scheduled for December 22. A decree read on national television on Tuesday removed all vice-presidents, ministers and local administrators from their posts and dissolved the national and state assemblies. The judiciary and security institutions remain in place, and Kiir will stay in office until an elected president assumes power.

The move formally ends a power-sharing arrangement established under a 2018 peace deal that halted a devastating five-year civil war — a conflict that, according to the United Nations, killed approximately 400,000 people and displaced millions. South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, is considered one of the poorest and most corruption-affected countries in the world. Elections were originally expected in 2022 but have been postponed twice. The transitional government had failed to implement key preconditions set out in the peace agreement: no voters have been registered, rival armed forces have not been unified, and a permanent constitution has never been finalised.

The dissolution came a day after parliament approved amendments to the National Elections Act that removed requirements to complete a permanent constitution and a national census before holding a vote — changes swiftly rejected by the main opposition alliance. Analysts and legal experts warned the new framework concentrates power dangerously in the president's hands. "Kiir will be the only person in power, without vice-presidents, without the executive, without the parliament," said Michael Wani, a lawyer and former member of the constitution drafting committee. Independent analyst Machot Amuom went further, cautioning that the new law's ambiguities could allow Kiir to delay elections by another year or two if he chose.

The atmosphere in Juba, the capital, was tense on the day of the announcement. An increased military presence was reported across the city, with checkpoints and road closures near government buildings. The Internal Security Bureau issued a directive ordering all forces to remain on high alert for three days. Civilian workers said some government ministries had been closed without warning. Kiir also recently replaced the head of the national elections commission without explanation, appointing Gabriel Bol Deng Majok to oversee electoral preparations.

Adding to the fragility of the transition, Kiir's longtime political rival Riek Machar — leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, the main opposition group — remains under house arrest and is on trial on charges including treason and crimes against humanity, which he denies. Amnesty International described the dissolution as a "decisive step" toward elections, but urged authorities to ensure conditions allow citizens to vote and stand freely. International observers fear that without credible safeguards, the vote could reignite full-scale conflict in a country still scarred by decades of war.