South Sudan not ready for December elections, says R-JMEC

JUBA – South Sudan is not ready for elections slated for December and peace parties need to discuss the way forward, the head of the country’s peace monitoring body said on Tuesday.

Gen. Charles Tai Gituai, Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), said key electoral tasks remain incomplete and parties have not reached a consensus on holding elections.

“In RJMEC’s assessment, much work remains to be done to complete the Agreement requirements for the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections,” he said in a statement seen by Sudans Post.

“In my recent engagement with the Parties to the Agreement, it is evident that there is no consensus among the Parties on the elections,” he added.

Gituai called for dialogue among parties to agree on a path forward, stressing that outstanding tasks include vital reforms to address the root causes of the conflict.

His statement follows calls from two main opposition groups for dialogue and an extension of the transitional period by at least two years to complete pending reforms.