Rushed elections could be dangerous, UN warns
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has said the country is at a critical moment in its transition, citing the crucial provisions of the Revitalised Peace Agreement that need to be implemented.
The commission said the planned elections could plunge the country into chaos if all the precautionary measures are not considered.
The Chair of U.N. Human Rights Commission on South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka, said the consequences of a rushed poll, within a contested political system, and without requisite security and democratic conditions in place, could indeed be disastrous.
She made the statement during the presentation of the sixth report of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on South Sudan to the Human Rights Council on Friday.
Yasmin said the timetables and sequencing for constitution-making and national elections remain unclear, despite the transitional period being scheduled to end next February 2023.
Grey areas
She added that the lack of clarity leaves unanswered bigger questions of what kind of system the people will be voting for if the core elements of a constitution are not yet agreed.
“Both constitution-making and elections require considerable legal, institutional, security, and logistical arrangements that are still unestablished. Beyond these key legal and procedural considerations, it is critical to recognise the risks of further polarisation and political violence around elections, particularly when the insufficient groundwork has been laid for the process, “Yasmin stressed.
Yasmin called on the world not to forget South Sudan and added that the ongoing conflict has been the main cause of sorry situations where two million people have been displaced, the 34,000 people are living in one remaining United Nations protection of civilians (POC) site, and 2.3 million refugees, making it the biggest refugee crisis in the African region.
The report highlights that the conflict has left three times more human beings in desperate need of humanitarian aid than ever before; a staggering 8.9 million people, with more than 1.4 million children and 483,000 women suffering from malnutrition.
Flood menace
At least 809,000 people have been affected by heavy rainfall and floods in 2021. In the wake of the floods, renewed violence in parts of the country, including in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap states, are once again on the brink of famine.
According to the International Rescue Committee, 1.7 million people are estimated to be battling emergency levels of hunger across 35 counties, including in Jonglei, Unity, Lakes, Warrap, Western Pibor, and Upper Nile.
The report adds: “While the international community made 10 million US dollars available to South Sudan to address the humanitarian crisis, and 80,000 bags of rice for distribution to those affected by the floods, sadly the money and the rice intended for those most at risk were looted.”
It added that the potential to plunge South Sudan into complete conflict by rushing elections without implementing the necessary constitution-making provisions must be taken seriously, including the risk of further political violence.
“Unless the Revitalised Agreement is fully implemented with the support and accompaniment of the African Union, the United Nations, regional and international partners and guarantors of the peace process, the aspirations of South Sudan’s people for sustainable peace will remain unfulfilled, “Yasmin stressed.
