The UN envoy emphasized the imperative need for all political parties in South Sudan to have the freedom to campaign as the country, marred by conflict, progresses toward conducting its long-overdue elections.
Scheduled for the first time next year under a peace agreement inked in 2018, which terminated a brutal civil war in the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan faces challenges in meeting the essential criteria outlined in the agreement. Consequently, there are grave concerns within the global community about meeting the election deadline.
Nicholas Haysom, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan, stressed the necessity for South Sudanese parties, leaders, and stakeholders to take proactive steps toward crucial measures by the first quarter of 2024 to ensure a free, fair, and credible election by December 2024.
Haysom emphasized, Political parties should register and campaign without any form of intimidation or fear, adding that active involvement from civil society is vital for civil education and as monitors to uphold a credible process.
Recent moves by President Salva Kiir, who has governed the country since its independence from Sudan in 2011, included restructuring various state bodies responsible for overseeing the elections. Despite this, an opposition alliance rallied for the right to participate in the elections but called for more time for adequate preparation.
The current government, an uneasy coalition between Kiir and former war adversary Riek Machar, faces accusations of suppressing political freedoms and failing to meet the conditions for secure elections.
Highlighting concerns about escalating violence, particularly involving community-based militias, Haysom stressed the necessity of establishing effective institutions to manage the elections to prevent violence.
South Sudan, despite abundant oil reserves, remains one of the world’s poorest countries. Its history has been marked by nearly half its life as a nation in conflict, alongside enduring natural disasters, hunger, economic crises, and communal conflicts.
Haysom expressed the UN’s apprehension about increased violence across the nation, citing recent attacks in the disputed Abyei region and neighboring Warrap State, claiming at least 75 lives in the past two weeks.
