South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Sudan’s leaders to uphold the 2018 peace agreement as the country moves towards general elections scheduled for December.

Speaking on Tuesday at a virtual meeting of the African Union’s High-Level Ad Hoc Committee on South Sudan, Ramaphosa said the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan should remain the basis for measuring progress in the country’s transition.

"The Revitalised Peace Agreement remains the paramount legal instrument with which all parties must comply," he said.

The meeting brought together the C5, chaired by South Africa and comprising Algeria, Chad, Nigeria and Rwanda, along with representatives of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

South Sudan is due to hold its first general elections since gaining independence in 2011. The 2018 peace agreement was intended to guide the country through a transitional period towards elections, but its implementation has faced repeated delays.

Ramaphosa acknowledged progress towards the vote but said "many challenges and tremendous work" remained. He urged the government and other parties to the agreement to work quickly to address the outstanding issues.

The summit called for an immediate end to hostilities and respect for the agreement’s permanent ceasefire. It also urged the government to release people arbitrarily detained on political grounds and guarantee the rights and due process of those facing judicial proceedings.

The government was further urged to adopt a feasible, consensual and time-bound electoral roadmap covering the legal, technical, financial and security requirements for a peaceful and credible vote.

With input from South African Presidency and local media agencies