South Sudan peace monitors urge dialogue on election timeline

JUBA – The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) on Thursday urged parties to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement to engage in dialogue regarding the election timeline, with six months remaining in the transition period.

Charles Tai Gituai, Chairperson of RJMEC, noted that several key election-related tasks are behind schedule, emphasizing the importance of timely preparations for the December elections.

“RJMEC had requested the parties in March to engage in a dialogue to reach consensus on the way forward. With less than six months to the elections as per the Roadmap, time is fast running out, and several critical election-related tasks remain pending,” Gituai said during the peace monitoring body’s plenary meeting in Juba.

He acknowledged progress by the recently reconstituted National Elections Commission (NEC) in reconstituting the State elections high committees. However, Gituai expressed deep concerns over inter-communal violence in various parts of the country, including incidents in the Ruweng Administrative Area and Unity State.

At least 25 people, including the executive director of Aliny County in the Ruweng Administrative Area, were killed in clashes on June 22, involving armed youth from the Leek community in Rubkona County, Unity State.

Gituai also reported an increase in abductions of youths by the National Salvation Front (NAS) in Central Equatoria State and insecurity along the roads. NAS, led by Thomas Cirilo Swaka, is among the armed groups that refused to sign the 2018 peace agreement. A splinter faction of NAS is participating in ongoing peace talks in Nairobi aimed at ending years of rebellion.

“With regard to the Nairobi talks, we continue to encourage the negotiating parties to dialogue in good faith, with a commitment to achieving an inclusive peace process within the framework of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS),” Gituai stated.

He also encouraged sustained inter-party dialogue, consensus-building among parties and stakeholders on elections, and regular updates to the public on the dialogue’s progress.

Guang Cong, UNMISS Deputy Special Representative-Political, emphasized the need for a formula ensuring complementarity between the Nairobi peace process and interparty dialogue on elections.

“This is essential to reinvigorate efforts to finalize the transition through elections according to the R-ARCSS,” Guang said. He noted UNMISS’s technical support to the National Elections Commission, including infrastructure assessments, stakeholder consultations, and the formation of State High Elections Committees.

“I welcome the progress on the electoral security plan. It is essential that the plan is linked to the broader implementation of the Transitional Security Arrangements to ensure that South Sudanese can vote in their first post-independence election in safety and security,” Guang added.

Guang mentioned that UNMISS has intensified patrols and engagement with local authorities and security services in Unity State and the Ruweng Administrative Area, following cross-border clashes that resulted in several deaths, property destruction, and civilian displacement.