S. Sudanese refugees want peace before elections
January 10, 2015 (KAMPALA) – South Sudanese refugees in Uganda have asked government to prioritise peace and stability in the young nation before organising this year’s elections set for June.
Martha Nyawuora, 25, said government’s main priority should be peace to enable the displaced population return to their homes.
“I need peace before elections because with peace, elections will be there, but without peace no election [can take place]. As you know, most people are now displaced inside UNMISS [United Nations Mission in South Sudan] as refugees,” she said.
The 25-year old has vowed not to participate in the elections should government push for it amidst the country’s ongoing violence.
“I will not vote because from what I am see, when I vote for someone I like, the government will kill me. That is why I need peace then people will be free in South Sudan,” she stressed.
Gatluak Jeremiah, another refugee, said it will be an uphill task to conduct elections due to the ethnic undertones that characterise South Sudan’s conflict, claiming it will be difficult for voters to choose their leaders on the basis of merit during the forthcoming elections.
“Voting is something which is [to do with] personal choices and no citizens can vote when there are [ethnic] threats coming in. So to me there will be no direct vote that I think will be useful because even the government is divided and the army is divided,” said Gatluak.
He too vowed not to vote in elections held in the absence of peace.
“It is not suitable for the government to discuss elections when relatives of people who died since the outbreak of violence in mid-December 2013 are still mourning their losses,” he further stressed.
“The focus must be ensuring justice for people affected by the violence,” he added.
Meanwhile, Weileek Liom, who lives as a refugee in Uganda says the decision to hold elections could worsen the country’s ongoing war.
“The more urgent need is to help the nearly two million people forced from their villages to return home,” he told Sudan Tribune.
“The country is in a crisis. I don’t see into it that it should be a good idea for elections to be carried out in 2015 because more people are now in UN camps and the situation in South Sudan is so volatile that it cannot encourage elections to take place,” he added.
Liom appealed to opposition parties in the country to dissuade the ruling party (SPLM) from pushing ahead with the planned vote.
The National Elections Commission has set 30 June as date for the conduct of the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
(ST)