DECLARATION
WE, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) High-Level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan (C5), under the leadership of H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa and Chairperson of the C5, convened a virtual summit of the C5 Plus at the level of Heads of State and Government on 29 September 2026, on the situation in South Sudan.
We reaffirm the AU’s continued commitment to supporting peace and political stability in the Republic of South Sudan, take stock of ongoing efforts to implement the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), and propose actionable measures to support the peaceful conclusion of the transitional period and the conduct of credible, inclusive and transparent general elections scheduled for 22 December 2026.
The C5 Plus Summit was attended by the following high-level participants:
- H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa and Chairperson of the C5;
- H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan;
- H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti and Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD);
- H.E. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, President of the People's?Democratic Republic of Algeria, represented by Hon. Sifi Ghrieb, Prime Minister;
- H.E. Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad, represented by General Ahmat Kogri, Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, and Chadians Abroad;
- H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, represented by Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs;
- H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, represented by Mr. Olivier J.P Nduhungirehe, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- H.E. Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, represented by Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, Minister of Defence;
- H.E. Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, represented by Hon. Abdisalam Abdi Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation;
- H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, represented by Dr. Gedion Timothewos, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- H.E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, represented by Hon. Abraham Kithure Kindiki, Deputy President;
- H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), represented by H.E. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson;
- H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD; represented by Amb. Moussa Djama Ali, the IGAD Special Envoy, South Sudan;
- H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania and AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea; and
- H.E. Geoffrey Onyeama, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Head of the AU Pre-election Assessment Mission (PAM) to South Sudan.
- H.E. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU);
Following extensive deliberations and briefings on measures to further strengthen and enhance support for the effective implementation of the R-ARCSS, and for the conduct of peaceful, credible, inclusive and transparent elections scheduled for 22 December 2026;