South Sudan not ready for credible elections, says UN envoy
December 15, 2023 (NEW YORK) – South Sudan is not in a position to hold free, fair, or secure elections slated for December 2024, the head of the United Nations mission in the country (UNMISS) told the Security Council on Thursday.
Nicholas Haysom, also the Special Representative of the Secretary General, cited key conditions required by April 2024 for moving ahead, as per to the agreed timeline.
He said the young nation needed to have in place a new permanent constitutional framework, voter registration details, an election security plans, well trained, equipped, and unified security forces; and a mechanism for handling disputes over election results.
“A critical mass of these pre-requisites is necessary for creating the conditions for the conduct of elections that are not only free and fair but also deemed credible and acceptable to South Sudanese citizens,” Haysom told the Security Council.
He added, “We believe that with the necessary political will, a sense of urgency and compromise, the South Sudanese could indeed establish the conditions for elections in December 2024”.
According to the senior UN official, dire economic situation, climate shocks and fragile political environment could be detrimental to the conduct of the 2024 general elections.
“If these risks are not mitigated, then the threat to civilians remains real,” he warned.
Haysom said the UN remains committed to its core mandate of protecting civilians.
He noted that UNMISS is implementing proactive measures aimed at mitigating the risks of violence before, during and after voting. These include, maintaining a robust presence in potential hotspots through existing and new temporary operating bases and team sites; fortifying rapidly deployable reserves of peacekeepers, extensive patrolling, and boosting political and civil engagement at the community and national levels.
Highlighting what he described as the “dire” humanitarian situation in South Sudan, Haysom said ongoing war in neighbouring Sudan has further exacerbated the situation.
Two-thirds of the people across South Sudan are food insecure and over 9 million people remain dependent on assistance, including over 2 million internally displaced.
As of Tuesday, figures from the UN show, more than 434,000 people had crossed into the neighboring South Sudan since the start of the fighting in neighbouring Sudan.
“This means the humanitarian caseload in South Sudan is only growing,” Haysom said, adding that the country also remains highly dangerous for humanitarians to operate in.
He however called on the Revitalised Transitional Government of South Sudan to enable safe and unfettered humanitarian access and hold accountable the perpetrators responsible for attacking aid workers and looting of aid supplies destined for the most vulnerable.
(ST)