South Sudanese pre-transitional period (2018–2020)

The pre-transitional period in South Sudan began with the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) on 12 September 2018 and ended with the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) on 22 February 2020, when four of the five vice presidents were sworn into office. The R-ARCSS, which ended the South Sudanese Civil War, specified that the pre-transitional period would have a duration of eight months; however, the period was extended twice—a six-month extension followed by a 100-day extension—due to a lack of implementation of the specified preparations.

The major focus of the period was on the R-ARCSS-required creation of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF), a national army formed by the integration of the warring parties, principally the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO). Several violent incidents occurred during the period—the most notable being an insurgency by Thomas Cirillo's National Salvation Front (NAS), which was not party to the peace agreement.

On 15 February 2020, shorty before the scheduled formation of the RTGoNU, President Salva Kiir announced that the country would return to 10 states with the creation of two administrative areas—the Greater Pibor Administrative Area and the Ruweng Administrative Area—resolving a major point of contention between the government and the opposition movements.