South Sudan will hold general elections next year, the first for the small nation after gaining independence in 2011.
Incumbent President Salva Kiir who made the announcement on Tuesday said the long-delayed elections will be held as planned this time round.
Kirr has been president of the country since 2011 and signalled he would seek re-election in the polls scheduled for December 2024.
“I appreciate the support for my presidential candidacy in 2024″We are committed to implementing the chapters of the refreshed peace agreement and the election will be held in 2024”, he told members of his SPLM party.
No other candidate has declared their candidacy but First Vice-President Riek Machar is also expected to run.
A long-running civil war after gaining independence has led to the death of nearly 400,000 people.
Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar who have been long-time rivals clashed during the five-year civil war. They signed a peace agreement in 2018 with a power-sharing deal meant to end the war.
The mandate of the transitional government due to end in 2022 was extended to allow the leaders to address challenges with the implementation of the peace agreement.
Addressing these challenges are expected to help pave way for the general elections.
The country has recorded floods, hunger, renewed violence and political strife since independence.
