Founded in 2009 to inspire citizen participation in South Sudan’s 2010 elections and the 2011 referendum, the South Sudanese Network for Democracy and Elections (SSuNDE) has grown into a nationwide coalition of over 150 civil society organisations (CSOs) and faith-based groups united in empowering the South Sudanese people to participate freely and meaningfully in political life and peacebuilding.

Although elections have not been held since, SSuNDE has remained active by conducting civic and voter education on election laws and processes, and training and building the capacity of domestic election observers. All this, in preparation for the next elections, now hoped to take place by December 2026, with the firm belief that future results will truly reflect the will of the people.

With support from AHEAD Africa, SSuNDE continues to light the way for informed choices ahead of the next elections through broad and inclusive civic and voter education programmes running through 2025 and 2026. In parallel, SSuNDE plans to deploy trained domestic observers to closely monitor pre-election processes and demand timely fixes to threats to their integrity, guided by evidence from Standard Action Liaison Office (SALF)’s research, also supported by AHEAD Africa.