Prioritize elections, humanitarian situation, UN tells South Sudan government
December 9, 2023 (JUBA) – The UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has urged the Juba government to tackle issues related to elections, insecurity humanitarian crises in the coming year.
Guang Cong, the deputy special representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan said the government should fully fund and operationalize the elections and the constitution-making bodies.
“We also called for dialogue amongst all leaders to address pending technical and operational decisions needed for the elections to take place on time,” he remarked on Thursday in Juba.
The UN official was speaking during the plenary meeting of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the institution monitoring South Sudan’s peace accord.
While acknowledging the achievement so far made, Guang stressed that the timelines in the country’s political roadmap were behind schedule, and with only 12 months left before elections.
He, however, said regional and international partners are vital in South Sudan’s transition process.
South Sudan is to hold elections at the end of the current transitional period due in December 2024.
“We reiterate that military defections threaten and undermine trust between the parties. We also caution against the temptation towards unilateral actions and that the parties should take measures to de-escalate hostilities, using peaceful means to resolve disputes,” stressed Guang.
With more than 420,000 people said to have so far fled the conflict in Sudan into South Sudan, the senior UN official said the humanitarian situation in South Sudan could further worsen next year.
“We urge the Government of South Sudan to provide much-needed safety and reintegration support to the returnees, refugees, and stateless persons who have sought refuge within its borders,” he stated.
South Sudan is expected to hold its first democratic elections in December 2024 as per the 2018 peace agreement. But given disagreements between President Salva Kiir and other leading opposition parties, it is unclear whether the proposed elections will take place next year.
President Kiir and the country’s First Vice President Riek Machar are already divided on elections conduct, amid concerns over delays in the implementation of key provisions of the peace deal.
In August last year, South Sudan’s leaders signed a two-year extension of the transitional government, in a move foreign partners warned as lacking legitimacy.
This was the second time the parties extended the country’s transitional period.
In July, the Special Representative of the Secretary General in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom said the young nation could still make significant strides towards this December 2024 target to hold elections with political will, adequate resourcing and commitment to create an appropriate political environment.
(ST)