South Sudan transitional period extension was “regrettable,” says UN official
November 7, 2024 (NEW YORK) – The recent extension of South Sudan’s transitional period was met with “deep frustration and fatigue” from citizens concerned over persistent delays in implementing the peace deal, a top United Nations official told the Security Council on Thursday.
Nicholas Haysom, the Special Representative of the Secretary General in South Sudan told the Council that the extension was “a regrettable development given the deep frustrations and fatigue felt by the South Sudanese people at the apparent political paralysis and inaction of their leaders to implement the peace agreement and deliver the long-awaited democratic transition”.
“We must take this opportunity to make this extension the last and deliver the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve,” he remarked.
Haysom, also head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), expressed concerns over the spike in subnational violence as the rainy season concludes, citing the alarming numbers of civilian casualties in separate incidents in Upper Nile, Central Equatoria and Warrap states.
He, however, said the mission has continued to implement its protection of civilian mandate.
“I call on South Sudan’s leaders to unify and deploy their own forces because this is the only way to sustainably prevent civilian deaths,” Haysom told the Council, adding that UNMISS has already provided significant logistical support to the rollout of Phase 1 of the unified force deployment.
According to Haysom, parties to the peace agreement, the political elite, the guarantors of the peace agreement, or the international community must collectively seize the opportunity to make this extension the last and deliver the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve.
He said an implementation plan based on decisions, actions, realism and benchmarks is needed.
To achieve these outcomes, however, the top UN official said South Sudan government must immediately reconvene the government-led joint task force on constitution-making and elections.
Since the extension, implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan and its road map has “yet again been relegated to the back burner while political interests play out at the national level”, he told the Council on Thursday.
Haysom said UNMISS identified six achievable benchmarks, urging the parties to immediately address the deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces, starting Phase II of their joint training starting civic education; preparatory work for voter registration; amending the National Security Service Bill to expand civic and political space; developing a code of conduct between political parties, civil society and the media; and clarifying responsibility-sharing for electoral security.
In response to the ongoing violence and flooding, he said humanitarian partners have ramped up life-saving operations, delivering food, water, shelter, protection and medical care to over 3.9 million people in 2024. However, only 57 per cent of the $1.8 billion required for the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has reportedly been received.
“Moreover, the challenges in the country, including rising hunger and a cholera outbreak, are exacerbated by the conflict in Sudan, which has led to over 830,000 refugees and returnees entering South Sudan since April 2023,” stressed Haysom.
The UN official said the Tumaini Initiative seeking to bring hold-out opposition groups into the peace agreement, has stalled, but a recent meeting between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto indicated the talks would resume within the next two weeks.
He urged the parties, citing the current political stagnation, to use the next four months before the extended period commences to take the critical political decisions required to move the process forward and to show demonstrable proof that national financial resources are being prioritized for peace.
(ST)