Juba, South Sudan, June 03, 2021 – The United Nations has warned that a courageous decision is required to save the revitalized peace deal from a total collapse and prevent South Sudan from sliding back to war.
Speaking to journalists in Juba Thursday, the Special Representative to the United Secretary-General and UN Head of Mission in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom appealed to parties to the agreement to breathe fresh air into the agreement.
“While some progress has been made, peace remains fragile and there is much to be done in the interest of advancing that,” Mr, Haysom said.
“Courageous decisions need to be made, including the unification of security forces. I urge the people and leaders of South Sudan to breathe fresh life into the peace process and fully implement the agreement, including by finalizing the constitution and eventually holding elections,” he added.
“Too many people have died and suffered because of conflict in this country. We now have the chance to honor that loss by securing durable peace for future generations,” Haysom said.
The Secretary General’s representative reiterated the statement that as much as UNMISS is helping to offer security to the people of South Sudan, it was the full responsibility of the government and its security forces to protect its people.
“While the UN is doing everything it can to help create a more secure environment, it is first and foremost the responsibility of the Government and its security forces to protect citizens from violence,” the Head of UNMISS said.
South Sudan is expected to go for elections in 2023 after the transition period ends. With a number of outstanding issues in the peace deal implementation process, Haysom said the Security Council has requested to conduct a needs assessment.
“In terms of election preparation, the Security Council recently asked for a needs assessment to look at security, procedural, and logistical requirements to enable elections to be held. We are working closely with that needs assessment mission, which will shortly be reporting to the Security Council itself. We will keep you updated,” he said.
