Cardinal-elect and Archbishop Stephen Ameyu (File photo)

Church leaders in South Sudan have urged the political elite and signatories of the peace agreement to refrain from exploiting the resilience of ordinary citizens and instead uphold their commitments.

The clergies say the continuous extension of the transitional period is due to a lack of political will by the leaders and urged them to stick to their promises.

In a pastoral message on the recurrent extensions of the peace deal lifespan, the Church leaders emphasized the need for a political decision to ensure sustainable peace, adding the political elites and parties should not continuously exploit the resilience of the people.

They further called on the stakeholders to prioritize healing and reconciliation and focus on other burning issues such as economic hardship, flood-affected areas, and the needs of IDPs and refugees.

“The Church realized that because of lack of political will, all the key important provisions in the roadmap remain unimplemented. Though there is a need for a political decision to ensure sustainable peace in South Sudan,” Cardinal Ameyu said.

“The political elites and parties to the agreement should not continuously exploit the resilience of the people of South Sudan. They should stick to their promises,” he said.

“As a Church, we urge all stakeholders to prioritize peace, healing and reconciliation and ensure that the affected people in their flooded areas, refugees, and IDPs are assisted, including redeeming the current dying,” he added.

“As a Church, we remain prayerfully vigilant and closely following peace implementation and political development in our country. God bless the Church in South Sudan.”

South Sudan was expected to hold its first-ever election since independence in December 2024, to end the transitional period after the establishment of a democratically elected government.

But on Friday the peace parties reached a consensus to give the unity government a two–year mandate to govern, after which the polls will be conducted in late 2026.