A UN monitoring panel warns that South Sudan could fall into massive violence if elections are held before the government implements constitutional provisions to bolster the country’s shaky peace agreement. The three-member Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has presented its latest report to the UN Human Rights Council.
South Sudan has a transitional period of three years to implement provisions of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, which concludes the country’s civil war, which should be followed by the general elections in 2023.
However, Commissioners say key areas of the peace agreement will not be implemented. They say that in further violent conflict in parts of the country, as well as widespread, systematic human rights violations, ruled out the possibility of free and fair elections.
Commission President Yasmin Sooka said the conflict had displaced 4 million people both in the country and as refugees in neighboring countries. She said that almost 9 million people need humanitarian aid. She said the government is filled with corruption and the country’s treasury is being plundered by the political elite.
She said civil rights were being suppressed, with human rights activists and journalists routinely facing death threats and arbitrary detention. She said conflict-related sexual violence against women and girls was widespread and systematic throughout South Sudan.
“In this climate of fear and terror, how can we talk about the Constitution, elections and transitional justice? Are national consultations even possible? … The growing political crisis threatens to exacerbate the existing humanitarian and human rights crisis that is causing widespread suffering and lives made by many South Sudanese unsustainable, “Sooka said.
Commission member Andrew Clapham said core elements of a constitution have not yet been agreed. He said that both the Constitution and the elections required significant legal, institutional, security and logistical arrangements. He said all are not yet established.
“On these important legal and procedural considerations, it is critical to recognize the risks of further polarization and political violence surrounding these elections, especially if insufficient basis has been laid for the process. and without the required security and democratic conditions in place, could be truly catastrophic, “Clapham said.
South Sudanese Minister of Justice and Constitution Ruben Madol Arol contradicts the commission’s demands. He said his government was making progress in implementing the provisions of the Revitalized Treaty.
However, he said the lack of external support hindered progress in this regard. He said South Sudan needed technical assistance and capacity building to move the process forward. He appeals to the UN Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide these tools.
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