NEWS– The United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway have expressed “deep concern” at the announcement of a two-year delay in elections in South Sudan, terming the extension of a transitional government a failure.
NEWS- A joint statement from the three governments issued yesterday evening indicated that this announcement demonstrates the persistent and collective failure of South Sudan’s leaders to create the conditions necessary to hold credible and peaceful elections.
South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but was plunged into a civil war two years later that killed an estimated 400,000 people, however in 2018, a peace deal brought together President Salva Kiir and rival Vice President Riek Machar, but efforts to write a constitution and hold the country’s first elections have been repeatedly delayed.
President Kiir’s office last week announced that voting planned for December would be pushed ahead by another two years, as the country came closer to the deadline for the transitional government to be dissolved which was scheduled for today.
South Sudan Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomuro said the extension was in response to the recommendations from both electoral institutions and the security sector and President Salva Kiir went ahead and signed a statutory order extending the elections.
The three countries have since acknowledged that polls could not be held as scheduled in December, but blamed a lack of political will.
“Responsibility for this failure is shared by all parties in the transitional government,” said the statement. “As South Sudan’s leaders vie for power and fail to organize credible and peaceful elections, the people of South Sudan suffer the consequences.”
U.N. Special Representative to South Sudan Nicholas Haysom said in a statement earlier this week said that the United Nations expressed regret and disappointment at the delay.
“Two years ago, we were in a similar situation, as we are today, and gave our support specifically under the condition that there would be no more extensions,” Haysom said.
South Sudan has battled flooding, hunger and violence, while its leaders have appeared reluctant to risk going to the polls and are accused of massive corruption and earlier this month, the U.N.’s humanitarian agency warned that more than 700,000 people had been affected by flooding, with aid failing to meet many in need.
South Sudan boasts plentiful oil resources, but the vital source of revenue was cut in February when an export pipeline was damaged in war-torn Upper Sudan and nothing has been done since then.
Additional Reporting by Associated Press
