Juba, South Sudan — The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has called for tangible evidence of progress toward democratic elections the country.
Briefing the United Nations Security Council this week, special representative of the secretary-general and head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom, told government leaders "the clock on the extension is already ticking."
Since winning its independence in 2011, South Sudan is just beginning its fourth extension of the transitional period government, with elections now rescheduled for 2026.
Speaking for Haysom, U.N. South Sudan acting spokesperson Rabindra Giri said, "The international community needs tangible evidence that this country's leaders and political elite are genuinely committed to a democratic future."
As the country struggles with increasing internal conflict, the delay in democratic reform affects the hopes for peace, stability and development, even beyond South Sudan's borders, impacting the entire East African region.
UNMISS officials stressed that time is running out for political leaders to fulfill their obligations under the peace agreement.
"We must collectively seize the opportunity to make this extension the last and deliver the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve," Giri said.
On the streets of Juba, South Sudanese citizens were eager to talk about how the delays in implementing the peace agreement raise doubts about whether their leaders genuinely care about the nation's well-being and are impacting their hopes for peace, stability and development.
Nunu Diana, a women's rights advocate in South Sudan, is one of them.
"I think because of the extension, personally, as a young person, I have lost morale in the governance system of the country," Diana said.
Data Gordon, an advocate for peace and gender equality, is another.
"The time for political statements without tangible and time-bound action is over," Gorton said. "For elections to take place as scheduled, the government needs to walk the talk."
UNMISS said it is moving ahead with support to the National Elections Commission, while Haysom highlighted civic education, preparing for voter registration, a code of conduct between political parties, civil society, media and election security among the areas that the parties could immediately address.
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Haysom said time is a nonrenewable resource. He said this is South Sudan's last chance to deliver on its promise of democracy, and there is a need for sustained international support while holding South Sudan's leaders accountable to their own commitments.
"This cannot be business as usual for the parties to the peace agreement, the political elite, the guarantors of the peace agreement or the international community," Giri said. "We must collectively seize the opportunity to make this extension the last and deliver the peace and democracy that the people of South Sudan deserve."
