South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has replaced the head of the election commission, only about three months before the first national election since independence in 2011.

The president, in an announcement read out by the state-owned broadcaster on Tuesday, said commission Secretary General Gabriel Bol Deng will replace Abednego Akok Kacuol. He gave no reason for the change.

South Sudan's National Election Commission (NEC) had in June officially announced Dec. 22 as the date for the country's general elections, marking a significant step in implementing the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

South Sudan's five-year conflict, during which thousands of people were killed, ended in 2018 after a peace agreement was signed.

Unity government

The peace deal was reached with rival Riek Machar and signed by other political parties in 2018.

Together with President Kiir, they formed a unity government in 2020, with Machar becoming the first vice president, among four others.

The country, however, descended into conflict in December 2013 after a disagreement between President Salva Kiir and his then-deputy, Riek Machar, caused a split in the army, leading to fighting between soldiers loyal to the two leaders. South Sudan has since suspended Vice-President Riek Machar from his role.

Last week, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned that safeguards and conditions for peaceful elections were still a challenge.

"South Sudanese do have a right to vote; that right must be protected by ensuring they can participate freely, compete fairly, and resolve any electoral disputes through credible adjudication," one of the UN commissioners, Barney Afako, said in a statement last Thursday.