South Sudan: Postponement of long-awaited election is ‘an unfortunate development’
Nicholas Haysom updated ambassadors on developments in the world’s youngest country, which is scheduled to hold its first general election next month.
Since his last meeting in August, the transition period has been extended to February 2027, pushing back the voting timetable to December 2026.
“This is inevitable but an unfortunate development because The people of South Sudan feel deeply frustrated and weary at the apparent political paralysis and inaction of their leaders in implementing the peace agreement and bring about the long-awaited democratic transition,” he speak.
Steps towards peace
South Sudan won independence in 2011 but two years later, fighting broke out between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his opponent, Vice President Riek Machar, killing hundreds of thousands. The 2018 peace deal, known as the Revival Agreement, ended the war.
In September, the parties announced that the election would be postponed to December 2026 and that the transition period agreed upon under the accord would be extended by another two years to February 2027.
Call for compromise
Meanwhile, Mr. Haysom, who also heads the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (SKIP), held in-depth discussions with political leaders, civil society, faith-based representatives, youth leaders, women’s coalitions and international partners.
“This leaves me in no doubt, as the Secretary-General has stated, that the only way forward is for South Sudan’s leaders to urgently find compromises, implementation methods and Take the decisive steps necessary to achieve critical mass among the key standards set out in the Restoration Peace Agreement,” he said.
However, he noted that since the latest extension, the implementation of the agreement and the roadmap to 2022 “have once again been pushed back while political interests play out at the national level”.
Furthermore, a Kenya-led dialogue process aimed at engaging non-signatory opposition groups in the peace deal also appears to have stalled, although it is clear it will continue.
The clock is ticking
“UNMISS is clear. The clock on South Sudan’s fourth extension has begun ticking. It is not reset in February next year when the expansion transition begins, it starts now. Otherwise, we could find ourselves in a similar predicament in December 2026,” he warned.
“This cannot be business as usual for the parties to the peace agreement, the political elites, the guarantors of the peace agreement or the international community. We must take this opportunity to make this extension final and bring about the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve.”
The UN mission identified six achievable standards that the parties could address immediately. Issues covered include the deployment of the Necessary United Force (NUF), civic education, preparations for voter registration and the development of a code of conduct between political parties, civil society and the media.
The special envoy recently met with President Kiir to discuss the urgent need to make progress, while he also called on the international community to “rally around these immediate tasks.”
UN supports elections
He said UNMISS is working to support the National Election Commission while “promoting initiatives to enhance the civic and political space”. The agency is also partnering with 200 civil society organizations across the country to build monitoring coalitions and strengthen civic education and election observation engagement.
“I need to emphasize that our efforts and the current momentum are a product of the strong desire of the people of South Sudan to contribute to their own nation-building project,” he added.
“After all, this is not a ‘UN election’ or a ‘foreign election’ – this is South Sudan’s first post-independence sovereign election.”
Violence, floods and humanitarian needs
Turning to other issues, Mr. Haysom reported on the increased violence at the local level that is emerging as the rainy season ends. The number of civilian casualties in separate incidents in three states – Upper Nile, Central Equatoria and Warrap – was alarming, he said.
Ongoing violence and flooding also continue to cause enormous harm and disrupt opportunities for recovery and long-term solutions in South Sudan, he added. Although aid partners have reached nearly 4 million people this year, obstacles remain including limited resources and $1.8 billion humanitarian plan by 2024 is about 57% funded.
Meanwhile, the conflict in neighboring Sudan continues to exacerbate those challenges.
South Sudan has received more than 830,000 refugees and returnees since the war broke out in April 2023 – equivalent to more than 7% of the population. This comes amid rising hunger and a cholera outbreak that began on the northern border with cases arriving from Sudan.
