Ambassador Hirut Zemene Kassa (left), the head of the AU Peace and Security Council delegation, with Ambassador Kureng Akuei Pac (right), Director General for Multilateral Relations, after landing at Juba International Airport on Thursday, April 23, 2026. | Photo: Courtesy

The head of the African Union Peace and Security Council delegation has stated that the outcome of their assessment mission will determine the way forward for South Sudan’s political transition.

Ambassador Hirut Zemene Kassa confirmed that the Council will issue a formal communique to the public following the three-day mission, which took place from Thursday, April 23, to Saturday, April 25, 2026.

The visit aimed to evaluate the current political and security situation and determine how the African Union can best support the country’s ongoing transition.

The delegation engaged with various stakeholders to discuss the implementation of the peace agreement and exchanged views on key national issues. Ambassador Hirut noted a significant public desire for democratic elections and assessed the conditions necessary to establish an environment conducive to a credible electoral process.

“We understand there is a lot of interest from the South Sudanese to conduct a democratic election, and we saw and assessed firsthand what enabling environment should be facilitated to make sure that the very long transition has to end,”  Ambassador Hirut said.

“We are still discussing how this implementation is ongoing and what the necessary conditions are to handle this election.”

The Ambassador stated that the information gathered during the visit would inform the Council’s upcoming deliberations. She emphasized that the AU remains committed to supporting efforts to end the prolonged transition.

“We are leaving South Sudan with a lot of hope and getting important information for us to deliberate on. The Council, as is traditional, will go back and assess the discussions and will be releasing a communique, which will be shared with the public. We are here to evaluate the situation and see what the African Union can do in supporting the process,” she said.

The forthcoming communique will outline the Council’s official position and provide recommendations for the next phase of South Sudan’s peace process.