South Sudan is due to hold elections at the end of the country’s transitional period.
The elections are part of the September 2018 peace deal that ended its civil war.
“Following recent senior-level visits from our capitals to Juba, the Governments of Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States reaffirm our call for South Sudan’s leaders urgently to take steps necessary to ensure genuine and peaceful elections in December,” partly reads a statement from the U.S, Britain and Norway.
The process, it noted, should address 10 questions posed by the United Nations, African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
“Not taking these critical steps and so not allowing elections would be a collective failure on the part of South Sudan’s leaders,” it stressed.
The U.S, Britain and Norway further urges the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unit (RTGoNU) to use public revenue in a transparent manner to address public needs, including funding and operationalization of electoral institutions.
“Our relationship with South Sudan remains based on our conviction that the South Sudanese people deserve peace, human rights, democracy, and a government that is responsive to the needs of its citizens. We look to South Sudan’s leaders to demonstrate that they share these values by honoring their own commitments to their people,” concluded the statement.
The call came barely a week after Washington called for actions from South Sudan’s leaders if the country is to get into the path for free and fair elections in December.
As South Sudan prepares for elections slated to be held in December 2024, there is anxiety about whether the country is prepared for such an important democratic milestone. The country has not conducted a census that is crucial to determining the constituencies and representation in its parliament and locally.
