Nicholas Haysom briefed ambassadors on developments in the world’s newest country, which was due to hold its first general elections next month.

Since his last briefing in August, the transition period has been extended until February 2027, pushing back the voting timetable to December 2026.

“It was an inevitable but regrettable development given the deep frustration and fatigue felt by the people of South Sudan in the face of the apparent political paralysis and inaction of their leaders to implement the peace agreement and achieve the long-awaited democratic transition,” he said. said.

Steps towards peace

South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but two years later fighting broke out between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar, which left hundreds of thousands dead. The 2018 peace deal, known as the Revitalized Accord, ended the war.

In September, the parties announced that elections would be postponed until December 2026 and that the transition period agreed under the deal would be extended by two years, until February 2027.

Call for compromise

Meanwhile, Mr. Haysom, who also heads the United Nations mission in South Sudan (MISS), held intensive discussions with political leaders, civil society, faith representatives, youth leaders, women’s coalitions and international partners.

“This leaves me in no doubt that, as the Secretary-General has said, the only way forward is for South Sudan’s leaders to urgently find compromises, ways of implementation and take the decisive steps necessary to achieve critical mass key criteria set out in the Revitalized Peace Agreement,” he said.

He noted, however, that since the last extension, the implementation of the agreement and a roadmap for 2022 “has once again been relegated to the background while political interests play out at the national level”.

Additionally, the Kenyan-led dialogue process aimed at bringing non-signatory opposition groups into the peace agreement also appears to be stalled, although it is expected to resume.

The clock is ticking

“UNMISS has been clear. Time is running out for South Sudan’s fourth extension. This won’t reset in February next year, when the extended transition begins, but right now. Otherwise, we could find ourselves in the same situation in December 2026,” he warned.

“It cannot be business as usual for the parties to the peace agreement, the political elite, the guarantors of the peace agreement or the international community. We must seize this opportunity to make this extension the last and achieve the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve..”

The UN Mission has identified six achievable goals that the parties can achieve immediately. Issues discussed include the deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces (NUF), civic education, preparatory work for voter registration and the development of a code of conduct between political parties, civil society and the media.

The envoy recently met with President Kiir to discuss the urgent need for progress, and he also urged the international community to “rally behind these immediate tasks.”

UN support for elections

He said UNMISS was moving forward with its assistance to the National Electoral Commission while “leading initiatives to strengthen civic and political space.” It also collaborates with 200 civil society organizations across the country to build monitoring alliances and strengthen civic education and participation in election observation.

“I must emphasize that our efforts and the current momentum are a product of the strong desire of the South Sudanese people to contribute to their own nation-building project,” he added.

“After all, these are not ‘UN elections’ or ‘foreign elections’: these are South Sudan’s first sovereign elections after independence. »

Violence, floods and humanitarian needs

Turning to other topics, Mr. Haysom noted the peak in local violence that occurs at the end of the rainy season. 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 immense damage and disrupt opportunities for recovery and durable solutions in South Sudan, he added. Although humanitarian partners have reached nearly four million people this year, obstacles persist, including limited resources and the $1.8 billion humanitarian plan for 2024 is about 57 percent funded.

Meanwhile, the conflict in neighboring Sudan continues to exacerbate these challenges.

South Sudan has hosted more than 830,000 refugees and returnees since the start of the war in April 2023 – the equivalent of more than seven percent of its population. It comes amid growing hunger and a cholera outbreak that began on the northern border with cases arriving from Sudan.