South Sudan again delays its 1st election, until late 2024

BY DENG MACHOL
Associated Press

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Parties to the peace deal ending South Sudan’s devastating civil war have again delayed the country’s first elections since independence by extending the transitional period by two years. The vote meant for early next year has been pushed to December 2024. The United States, Britain and Norway before the announcement in the capital warned in a letter to President Salva Kiir they wouldn’t send their top diplomats because they believed that not all parties to the peace deal had been consulted. Kiir has led South Sudan since independence from Sudan in 2011. He says the delay helps prevent a return to war.