South Sudan draws flak for deferring elections again

Washington/Juba: The announcement by the leaders of South Sudan of an extension of the country’s transitional period by two years (basically until February 2027) has drawn flak from the Governments of Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Expressing their concern about the announcement, the Troika said it demonstrates the persistent and collective failure of South Sudan’s leaders to create the conditions necessary to hold credible and peaceful elections, in accordance with an established, publicly agreed-upon timeline. 

The decision taken by all parties in South Sudan’s transitional government, the Troika said, smacked of their failure to take responsibility to honour their commitment to conduct elections within the deadline.  

“We acknowledge that elections cannot be credibly held as scheduled in December.  This is because of South Sudanese leadership failures and lack of political will.  Nevertheless, we cannot in good conscience endorse the extension of a status quo that prioritizes the privileges of the elite over the welfare of the South Sudanese people,” the Troika stated.

These three nations called on the transitional government to act with urgency to demonstrably create the conditions necessary for credible and peaceful elections.  This included expanded political and civic space to enable citizens to express their views without fear or repercussions, politically neutral security forces, funded and operationalized electoral institutions, and leaders’ public commitment to dialogue and the rejection of violence as a tool for political competition.

As South Sudan’s leaders vie for power and fail to organize credible and peaceful elections, the people of South Sudan suffer the consequences.  Millions face acute food insecurity year after year. South Sudan also grapples with Africa’s largest refugee crisis, with over 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees hosted in neighbouring countries.

The Troika claimed it remains committed to the people of South Sudan in their journey towards a democratic future free from conflict.

“We urge South Sudan’s leaders to work toward sustainable peace, in particular through the Tumaini Initiative in Nairobi and broad-based leadership-level dialogue in Juba.  It is also essential that the voices of women and youth are heard,” they said.

The Tumaini Peace Initiative, which was launched on May 9, 2024, is seen as the final attempt to end the decade-long South Sudan armed conflict. All the parties that participated in the initiative — Revitalized-Transitional Government of National Unity, South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance, South Sudan United National Alliance, and National Salvation Front – Revolutionary Command Council — signed a “Declaration of Commitment”, pledging their willingness to renounce any sort of violence. Dr Ayak Chol Deng, Representative of Civil Society Forum and Abraham Akech,  Representative of People’s Coalition for Civil Action, signed the Initiative as the Stakeholder Representatives, while Lieutnant General Lazarus Sumbeiywo, Ambassador Dr. Mohamed Ali Guyo, Ambassador Ismail Wais and Tobias Mueller signed as mediators, and Dr. A. korir SingOei – Principal Secretary, State Department of Foreign Affairs, Kenya, signed the Initiative as Host Government – on behalf of Lead Mediator. Kenyan President William Ruto, South Sudan President Salva Kiir, and former Kenyan Army Commander and Chief Mediator Major-Gen Lazarus Sumbeiywo were the lead initiative mediators.

Earlier, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for peacekeeping, jointly with the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),  too, expressed concern that this was the second time an extension had been needed due to a failure to implement critical benchmarks in the 2018 peace agreement and, that none of these extensions delivered durable peace or timely elections.

The AU, IGAD and the UN peacekeeping mission called on all parties to break the perpetual cycle of continuous transitions and for them to prioritize the interests of South Sudan and its people.

– global bihari bureau