Creating an enabling election environment in South Sudan key: Haysom

August 15, 2024 (NEW YORK) – It is vital to create an enabling environment for elections in South Sudan as the country takes steps to implement the 2018 peace agreement, the head of the UN mission in the country, Nicholas Haysom said.

Addressing the Security Council on Wednesday, Haysom acknowledged that the parties continue discussions to resolve outstanding issues in the implementation of the road map, citing the Tumaini Initiative which involved dialogue between the government and hold-out opposition groups.

Haysom underscored that while UNMISS has encouraged an approach where both processes would be mutually reinforcing in the search for consensus among all stakeholders-that is, among formal signatories and non-signatories to the peace agreement- “further clarity is required on how the Tumaini initiative will converge with and thus complement the framework of the Revitalized Agreement”.

He said South Sudan is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December, adding that consultations make it difficult to treat the December 22 election date announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC) last month “as a definitive trigger in isolation from other critical factors.”

The vote would be the first since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011.

Haysom, also Special Representative of the Secretary General said the mission is not championing either process as an exclusive modality, but is promoting the constructive confluence of the two.

He asserted that both processes must advance with deliberate speed to deliver on the aspirations of South Sudanese.  To this end, UNMISS continues to support the creation of conditions that will lead to elections in South Sudan, “whenever they are to be held”.

Meanwhile, subnational violence continues to undermine the nominal stability realized thus far, he observed, voicing concern over deadly clashes in the Greater Upper Nile region, which required a reinforced UNMISS presence in Pariang, alleged National Salvation Front abductions in Central Equatoria, and intercommunal violence and criminality involving communities in Warrap, Lakes, Unity and Jonglei.

“A perfect storm is gathering in South Sudan, as regards its humanitarian and economic outlook,” he warned, adding that the mission is working closely with the UN country team, humanitarian partners, and the Government of South Sudan on scenario planning, analysis, and mitigations for this difficult period ahead.

He, however, said “time is running out” and “the costs of inaction at this juncture are too great” should the elements of the perfect storm converge, it would outstretch the response capacity of the UN and risk derailing the country’s political transition.

The UN mission continues to support the creation of an enabling environment for elections in South Sudan whenever they are held, focusing on its mandate to help protect civilians, Haysom said.

He said there are concerns among large segments of civil society, political parties, the Commission on Human Rights and the international community about a bill recently passed by South Sudan’s parliament that grants the National Security Service the power to make arrests without a warrant.

Critics of the security bill say it contradicts “their aspirations for open civic and political space” to build a democratic society and is incompatible with the spirit of South Sudan’s transitional constitution and its human rights obligations, he said.

Meanwhile, Edem Wosornu, the operations director at the UN Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 9 million people, 76% of South Sudan’s population, require humanitarian assistance and 7.1 million are “acutely food insecure, an increase of about 1.5 million people since last year.”

Wosornu said mid-year projections by the UN food security experts suggested that conflict and flooding could result in pockets of famine between June 2024 and January 2025.

South Sudan’s humanitarian plight is worsened by a deepening economic crisis, she stated.

According to the UN, about 25.6 million people or over half of the population of Sudan face acute hunger, including more than 755,000 people on the brink of famine.

Also, an estimated 10.7 million people are now internally displaced in Sudan.

(ST)