South Sudan

South Sudan still not ready for elections, head of peace monitoring body warns

President Salva Kiir presides over the swearing in ceremony of the newly appointed government officials on May 4, 2024. (Photo: South Sudan Government)

By Mwangi Maina | Monday, May 27, 2024

RJMEC has warned that there is still no evidence of adequate preparation for conducting elections in South Sudan, barely seven months to the polls.

Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Charles Tai Gituai, the head of the peace monitoring body, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), has warned that there is still no evidence of adequate preparation for conducting elections and implementing critical election-related tasks in South Sudan, barely seven months to the polls.

Gituai, a Kenyan national, raised the concerns when speaking during the 35th RJMEC plenary meeting in Juba, last week.

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He highlighted several critical tasks that remain incomplete, including the operationalisation and funding of key electoral bodies such as the Political Parties Council (PPC), the National Elections Commission (NEC), and the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC).

He also emphasised the need for the completion of Phase I and Phase II unification of forces and the drafting of a permanent constitution to guide the electoral process.

Another key issue South Sudan needs to look into before the polls., according to Gituai, is the importance of conducting election-related activities such as establishing electoral management bodies at the state level, voter registration procedures, civic education, and voter outreach.

Others include the implementation of judicial reform, including the establishment of the Constitutional Court and the enactment of revised security legislation.

While appreciating a meeting between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, which paved the way for the commencement of the second phase of the security arrangements, Gituai urged the two leaders to fast-track the process.

He also called for expedited inter-party dialogue to provide clarity and enable timely mobilisation of resources from the regional and international community to support the electoral process.

Nonetheless, he warned that ongoing inter-communal violence in various parts of the country may hamper any progress made and reiterated the importance of full unification and redeployment of forces to ensure security nationwide.

This election poses a make-or-break moment for South Sudan, with the world watching the East African Community nation, aware that the outcome of the polls will shape its future trajectory.

The South Sudanese government and rebel opposition groups recently signed a "commitment declaration" for peace during high-level mediation talks in Kenya, described as a key step in efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan that has long crippled its economy.