Timely, Peaceful Democratic Transition Critical For South Sudan: UN Official

The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Wednesday said that a timely and peaceful democratic transition remains critical for the country.

"The scale and importance of what remains to be done does not leave room for inaction. We still see 2023 as a 'make or break' year for this nation if it is to fully implement the peace agreement," Nicholas Haysom said in a news conference in the capital Juba.

Haysom said that a perception survey was commissioned by the UN peacekeeping mission to help gauge the views, expectations, and concerns of the average South Sudanese citizens.

"The polls were conducted in all 10 states, and the results indicate that people strongly believe in, firstly, that the elections should take place, and secondly, in UN support for those elections," he said.

The survey, he added, also shows that people who are "apprehensive of the elections nonetheless want it to happen."

"We in the UN family stand ready to support the South Sudanese, as requested," the UN official said.

"We can't do this work alone. This is why we in UNMISS put a premium on enhancing our strategic relationships — with the African Union, with IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), with EU, and the Troika, the broader international community, as well as South Sudanese communities and South Sudanese stakeholders. This is to promote greater coherence among international partners in our efforts but also to support greater ownership by South Sudanese of the outcomes of this transition," he added.

South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in 2011, making it the world's newest nation amid celebrations and pledges of support from world powers.

Two years later, violence erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and his ex-deputy-turned-rival Riek Machar.

A peace agreement signed in September 2019, the latest in a series since the conflict began in late 2013, is largely holding but the transitional government has been slow to unify the various factions of the military into a single unit, write a new constitution and pave the way to elections.

In August last year, the government announced a two-year extension to the country's post-civil war transitional period to help better prepare for elections. -