Speaking to journalists in Juba on Saturday, Noel Kaiga Joseph, the Program Officer for Space Organization, also called on the government to expedite the permanent constitution-making process which she said is necessary for elections conduct.
“We are supposed to go for elections and there are mixed reactions on whether elections should be done or not. The government, especially the SPLM, has given their stand to conduct elections without condition and SPLM-IO has outlined prerequisites for conducting elections,” Noel added.
“The constitution-making process is not completed, we need to speed up the constitution-making process, transitional justice is not implemented, we need to end the transition, we need to see that it is a peaceful transition,” Noel added.
Juan Rachel, Peace Coordinator for the South Sudan Council of Churches, emphasized the church’s potential to promote peace among different groups.
“We believe the voice of the church can act as a facilitator for peace mediation. The church can play key roles, one of them is moral guidance through teaching and reconciliation,” he said.
“We want to use that leverage for voter education,” he added.
Rachel also acknowledged the potential for division during the election period.
“People are united, but elections may cause disunity. The church will monitor the electoral process, advocate social justice, and we want to ensure that people’s welfare is taken as a priority. Our time for transition is coming and we need to work together,” he said.