PRESS STATEMENT ON THE VISIT OF SPECIAL ENVOYS TO THE HORN OF AFRICA AND SOUTH SUDAN ON THEIR VISIT TO JUBA 15.-17. JANUARY 2024

With less than 12 months remaining until South Sudan is due to hold its first elections as an independent nation, the Special Envoys of the European Union, France, Germany and the United Kingdom visited Juba, as South Sudan enters a critical phase in its transition towards peace and democracy.   

In their meetings with H.E. the President, H.E. the First Vice-President and the H.E Fifth Vice-President, other Government interlocutors as well as the international community and civil society in South Sudan, the Special Envoys reiterated the message of the United Nations Special Representative of the Security General that in order to hold credible, peaceful and inclusive elections in 2024, urgent action needs to be taken by the Transitional Government of South Sudan to establish a conducive environment and minimize the risk of violence. As a precondition, South Sudan’s leaders must come together to explicitly renounce the use of violence and agree on the peaceful conduct of elections.

The Envoys reiterated that the UN-AU-IGAD have outlined key political decisions and concrete actions that need to be taken before April in order to put in place conditions for credible elections. They called on South Sudan’s leaders to act with urgency to achieve these pre-requisites in a consultative and inclusive manner.

The Envoys urged the Transitional Government to take steps to establish and promote political and civic space that allows parties, civil society and individuals to freely express their views, engage in democratic discourse, and to campaign freely. Threats and hate speech cannot be tolerated. Citizens’ constitutional and legal rights must be fully respected.

The Envoys underlined that South Sudanese people deserve peace, human rights, democracy, and a government that is accountable to them and responsive to their needs. They are entitled to security ahead, during and after the elections. This requires ensuring that politically neutral security forces, especially police, are in place.

The Envoys reminded the Transitional Government of its responsibility to ensure that the institutions necessary for elections are adequately resourced and funded, so that they can be fully operationalized, and that their independence must be respected.

The Envoys stressed that “now is the time to act. The UNSRSG has pointed out that a critical mass of actions need to be taken by April for credible and inclusive elections still to be held by December. This is a narrow window of opportunity that must not be missed.”