UN peacekeeping chief warns of election violence in South Sudan

March 5, 2024 (NEW YORK) – Elections in South Sudan carry risks of violence which could have disastrous consequences on the country, the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations said on Tuesday.

Jean Pierre Lacroix was briefing the Security Council after visiting South Sudan last month.

He said adequate resources are necessary to address the aspirations of the people of South Sudan as elections approach.

There have already been several calls for a democratic and transparent polls.

There are differences between the rival political factions in the readiness of the country for elections in December 2024, Lacroix told the Security Council, adding that a myriad of factors will likely affect elections in South Sudan.

A fledgling economy has intensified fights over resources and led to high unemployment, particularly impacting the youth. In addition, political competition among the ruling elite, increased intercommunal clashes and the added strain inflicted by the influx of returnees and refugees escaping the conflict in neighboring Sudan have all combined toward an assessment that elections, when held, are going to take place in an environment of elevated tensions and a constrained civic and political space in the country, he said.

“Therefore, if not managed carefully, they carry the potential for violence with disastrous consequences for an already fragile country and the wider region,” said Lacroix.

The impact of the conflict in Sudan deserves special attention. Over two-thirds of South Sudanese citizens remain dependent on international assistance for their basic needs with women and children being the most vulnerable, he said.

Lacroix said the South Sudanese economy is overwhelmingly dependent on oil revenues that will stall, should the conflict in Sudan affect oil flow to Port Sudan.

Global competing priorities have already curtailed international resources for South Sudan and a loss of oil revenues in this context could have catastrophic humanitarian and security consequences for the entire region, warned Lacroix.

The United Nations has to harmonize its position on key political issues in South Sudan with those of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union while maintaining its impartiality and independence. Both IGAD and the African Union have voiced support for elections in South Sudan and the United Nations will, therefore, offer as much support as possible in line with its mandate, he said.

It is important to note that the United Nations cannot opine whether South Sudan should have elections or not, but can only assess if the government has put in place the requisite architecture for the elections to be peaceful and credible, he said.

“Failure to do so not only threatens the desired credibility and peacefulness of elections, but also the overarching framework, the peace agreement itself,” he noted.

As things stand, South Sudan is not ready for elections and a lot needs to be done. But if the parties display political will and timely invest adequate resources, credible elections can still take place before the end of the transition period, said Lacroix.

The peace agreement remains the only viable framework to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan.

Despite the shortcomings in implementation, the peace agreement did instil a period of stability at the national level and brought opponents who fought two civil wars to the table and enabled them to govern from within a government of national unity, he said.

It is now time for all to come together to build on this achievement. Peaceful conduct and implementation of the outcome of the elections should, therefore, be a shared strategic goal of all stakeholders, he added.

The government must take urgent measures to resource institutions of transition, reach political decisions to complete transitional security arrangements and the constitutional review process as a matter of priority, and ensure a level playing field for all parties to participate in elections in a much more open civic and political space than what currently exists in the country, he said.

Legitimacy through elections can only be secured if the people of South Sudan believe that their voices were heard, he noted.

“The people of South Sudan have suffered far too much and for far too long. It is time for them to finally receive the peace dividend they deserve,” stressed Lacroix.

(ST)