SSPDF Directs Election Aspirants to Resign from Military Service
JUBA — Serving SSPDF personnel who intend to contest the planned 22 December general election must submit written resignation letters to the Assistant Chief of Defence Forces for Administration, Personnel and Finance, the army said on 13 October. The command said it would release applicants without unnecessary delay after receiving their letters. The statement was reported by Access Radio, Eye Radio and Radio Tamazuj.
The written procedure follows a warning from Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Santino Deng Wol that officers should not combine military duties with political campaigns. Radio Tamazuj notes a 2021 presidential order barring active-duty personnel from political participation. No names or number of applicants have been officially disclosed.
What the directive leaves open
It does not publish a resignation deadline, a release-document format or a procedure for the National Elections Commission to check a candidate’s service status. It also does not establish how equivalent requirements will be applied to police, intelligence, prisons and other organised forces, or whether a departing officer may retain command influence or use military resources while campaigning.
Analysis: Resignation is a practical safeguard only if it is completed before nomination and enforced equally across ranks and parties. A letter submitted to the army is not necessarily the same as an effective discharge. The SSPDF and NEC should publish the timetable, verification process and anonymised application totals, then disclose candidate-specific discharge records as required by election law and privacy rules.
South Sudan Press is requesting the signed directive, applicable legal provisions, release procedure, applicant numbers and NEC guidance. We have not identified an officially confirmed soldier-candidate affected by this announcement.