Kiir faces pressure to explain how elections will be conducted as peace stall

JUBA, JULY 2, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – President Salva Kiir Mayardit is facing pressure from a local civil society group to give answers to how the long-awaited elections will take place in December 2024 with key provisions of the revitalized peace agreement not yet implemented.

In a statement on Friday, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said the first six months of the extended peace roadmap witnessed slight progress in some aspects, but then said most provisions of the deal have not yet been implemented.

“The first 6 months of the extended transitional period for 24 months for implementing the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS have witnessed reasonable implementations of some few tasks,” CEPO said.

“But all this progress is below 50% of expected performance for delivering the pending tasks of the R-ARCSS in the first 6 months of the extended period of 24 months,” it added.

Edmund Yakani, the executive director of CEPO said key tasks which have not yet been implement include the deployment of the peace forces, beginning of phase two of the security arrangements, and reconstitution of elections commission, among other independent commissions.

Yakani called on Kiir to explain to the nation during his address on independence anniversary on July 9 how credible, free, and peaceful will elections be when the necessary unified forces are not all graduated and deployed.

South Sudan is expected to go to elections in December 2024, buy key provisions of the revitalized peace agreement remains to be implemented.

The international community has called on South Sudan’s leaders to recommit to the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement signed in September 2018, but most provisions have still remained to be implemented.