Newsletters
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit issued a decree appointing a former opposition politician who died years earlier to a committee linked to preparations for elections in the country, before the presidency discovered the mistake and issued an apology.
In response, the deceased man’s family demanded compensation, arguing that the incident violated cultural norms related to the memory of the dead.
A spokesperson for the president’s office said the incident resulted from an unfortunate, unintentional mistake by the administration after the name of former opposition politician Steward Sorobia Budia was included among the members listed in a presidential decree.
The office said Tuesday that it learned with deep regret that Budia, one of the signatories to the peace agreement, had been appointed to the election-related committee under a Republican order issued Jan. 30.
Ambassador David Amour Majur, the president’s press secretary, said the appointments followed extensive consultations in which various stakeholders submitted the names of their nominees to ensure a representative and inclusive selection process.
He added that it later became clear that one of the parties had failed to carry out the necessary verification of the name it submitted, leading to the administrative error.
The president’s office said it is taking the necessary steps to correct the appointment and is awaiting the submission of an alternative nominee from the relevant body to replace Budia.
It also offered its sincere condolences to Budia’s family and relatives, stressing that it will apply stricter verification procedures in the future to ensure nominations meet the highest standards of accuracy and credibility.
In response, Budia’s family, who said he died five years ago, demanded compensation. In a statement, the family said: “In our culture, it is not acceptable to summon or awaken the spirit of a deceased person without the family’s knowledge, consent, or participation.”
South Sudan has not held elections since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
The presidential and parliamentary elections that had been scheduled for December 2025 were canceled shortly before they were due to take place and are now set to be held in December next year.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
