The United Kingdom on Thursday urged South Sudan’s leaders to accelerate political reforms, warning that the country cannot remain in an open-ended transition.

Speaking at a press conference in Juba marking Britain’s national day, UK Ambassador David Ashley said any further extension of the transitional period without meaningful progress would fail to address the country’s political and security challenges.

“The status quo is not an option,” Ashley said. “Another two-year extension of the transition, if nothing changes, doesn’t solve anyone’s problems.”

South Sudan is preparing for its first elections since independence, but key provisions of the 2018 power-sharing agreement remain unimplemented amid persistent political tensions and slow reforms.

President Salva Kiir’s camp has insisted that elections should proceed in December this year, a position opposed by some signatories to the peace deal, including the SPLM-IO, a key party to the agreement led by First Vice President Riek Machar, who is currently in detention and facing treason charges before a court in Juba.

Ambassador Ashley said Britain supports the holding of elections, but stressed they must be credible, inclusive and peaceful.

“We want to see elections because elections give South Sudanese finally an opportunity to choose their own leaders and representatives and hold them to account,” he said. “But democracy is a process, it’s not an event.”

He warned that elections conducted without sufficient preparation risk deepening instability, particularly if political actors are excluded or armed groups remain outside agreed security arrangements.

The ambassador welcomed the arrival in Juba of former Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete, the African Union envoy tasked with facilitating dialogue among South Sudan’s political leaders, saying inclusive regional mediation remains the most viable path toward a durable settlement.

Ashley said several critical issues remain unresolved, including voter registration, election funding, security arrangements and political freedoms.

He also said progress would be difficult without the involvement of detained opposition leader and First Vice President Riek Machar.

“We do believe that he was one of the principal signatories to the agreement and therefore it is unrealistic to move forward without the leader of the second largest party in this country,” he said.

Ashley said repeated delays in implementing the peace deal underscored that military action cannot resolve South Sudan’s underlying political disputes.

Referring to recent fighting in northern Jonglei, he said the offensive had led to displacement and loss of life without altering the situation on the ground.

“The events in Jonglei show that there is no military solution to the problems of South Sudan,” he said.

Britain also reaffirmed its financial support for South Sudan despite global aid budget pressures.

Ashley said the UK provided about $150 million in bilateral assistance over the past year, supporting humanitarian relief, health services and education programmes.

According to the embassy, UK-funded programmes reached 1.1 million people with emergency food assistance, provided malaria treatment to 320,000 people, and supported more than 230,000 girls and children with disabilities in education.

He urged the government to increase domestic spending on public services, noting that official figures showed about 2% of expenditure was allocated to health and education last year, compared with about 28% in Britain.

“The international community cannot continue to fill that gap,” he said. “It needs the government to use the resources it has, both through oil and non-oil revenues, to support the people of South Sudan.”

Ashley also said Britain remained prepared to consider sanctions against individuals implicated in corruption or misuse of public funds.

“If government revenue is being stolen, is being taken overseas, is being hidden away in private bank accounts, that is stealing  Radio Tamazuj