Watchdog urges UN chief to push for reconstitution of key institutions in South Sudan

JUBA, FEBRUARY 18^th 2023 (SUDANS POST) – A South Sudan civil society watchdog is appealing to the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to lobby African leaders to push for full implementation of South Sudan’s revitalized peace agreement by reconstituting key institutions such as the elections commission.

South Sudan’s 36-month transitional period provided for in the revitalized peace agreement signed in September 2018 is coming to an end on Wednesday next week. The parties are expected to start another 24-month transitional period at which end the long-awaited general elections provided for in the deal are expected to take place.

Leaders from around the African continent are currently meeting in Addis Ababa – the capital of Ethiopia where South Sudan leaders signed the revitalized peace agreement more than four years ago – from February 18^th to February 19. They are expected to discuss important issues affecting the continent and the United Nations Secretary-General is also attending the summit.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director Edmund Yakani, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) welcomed the presence of the UN Secretary-General at the summit and called on Guterres to push African leaders into pressuring the government of South Sudan for reconstitution of key transitional institutions necessary for free and fair elections.

“The UN Secretary General should use his presence in the African Union summit to lobby the African Union leadership to pass a resolution on triple administration of the forthcoming national elections and constitutional making process support. The constitutional making and conduct of elections are the final political transitional opportunities for South Sudan to create violence to peace reasonably. Both processes have direct influence on creating speedy transitional security arrangements and political reforms. Further, both processes offer great space for political reconciliation among the divided political class of South Sudan,” Yakani said.

“UN Secretary General should also take the opportunity of his presences in the African Union leaders’ summit to demand the government to speedy the reconstitution of the political transitional institutions’ responsibility for political parties’ registration, constitutional making and conduct of elections. The seaming for opening of political and civic space for the effective public engagement on the political transitional process is very important UN Secretary General,” the prominent activist stressed.

Yakani further urged “the UN Secretary General to lobby the African Union leaders to support speedy transitional justice process roll out in South Sudan including demanding IGAD leaders to hike urgent summit and African Union peace and Security council sending effective field situation assessment team to South Sudan sooner.”