The Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO), a civil society group, has trained 25 civic educators in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state to raise public awareness of electoral processes ahead of planned elections in December 2026.
The training, held in Torit on Wednesday with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), covered democracy, human rights, inclusion, governance and voting procedures.
SPIDO programme officer Advocate Morris John Peter said the participants would return to their communities to share the knowledge gained during the training.
“We need to equip them with the basic knowledge and principles of democracy and electoral processes so that they understand what is happening and the different stages of the election process,” he said.
The participants represented local government institutions, civil society organisations, women’s and youth groups, organisations representing people with disabilities, academic institutions, security forces and the electoral commission.
Peter said security personnel were included because of their role in protecting the electoral process and their right to participate in elections as citizens.
Noma Samuel, one of the participants, said the training had improved her understanding of her rights and responsibilities as a South Sudanese citizen.
She urged civil society organisations to extend civic education to remote communities, saying an emphasis on urban areas could leave rural residents without adequate information about the electoral process.
Another participant, Ebul Simon Ohuro, called on the government and development partners to provide resources to expand civic education across Eastern Equatoria, including translating information into local languages and making it accessible to vulnerable groups.
Ohuro said rural communities need clear information about voter registration and voting procedures to help eligible citizens make informed decisions and participate in the elections.
South Sudan is scheduled to hold elections in December 2026. The country has faced prolonged political and security challenges since gaining independence in 2011, raising concerns about the conditions for holding a credible vote.
The extent to which civic education reaches rural communities will be important in ensuring that voters have access to information about electoral procedures before polling day.
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