South Sudan Presidency (Photo: Courtesy).

The Governments of Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States said they are “deeply concerned” about the postponement of South Sudan elections and the two-year extension which they attribute to leadership failure and lack of political will.

Known as Troika, the Western nations said South Sudanese leaders have vied for power at the expense of the common people, millions of whom continue to languish in acute food insecurity.

In a press statement, they said this is after the peace parties failed to create the necessary conditions for holding credible and peaceful elections as they publicly promised in August 2022 when they first extended their tenure.

“This announcement demonstrates the persistent and collective failure of South Sudan’s leaders to create the conditions necessary to hold credible and peaceful elections in accordance with an established, publicly agreed-upon timeline,” said the Troika.

“ As South Sudan’s leaders vie for power and fail to organise credible and peaceful elections, the people of South Sudan suffer the consequences. Millions face acute food insecurity year after year.”

South Sudan has never undertaken general elections as an independent country – and polls were scheduled for December this year to usher in a democratically elected government.

But on 21st September 2024, President Kiir signed Amendment Number 12 to the Transitional Constitution of 2011, signaling the official postponement of the country’s first-ever elections.

This came after the parliament unanimously endorsed the constitutional amendment that was passed by the cabinet and peace monitoring body R-JMEC amid tight deadlines and concerns over the necessity of another extension.

The decision was reportedly agreed because most of the critical peace provisions, including security arrangements, permanent constitution-making, electoral preparations, and other issues that could enable credible elections, remain pending.

On their part, the diplomatic missions acknowledge that elections cannot be credibly held as scheduled in December but attribute this to what they term as South Sudanese leadership failures and lack of political will.

Troika, however, categorically stated that they cannot “in good conscience endorse the extension of a status quo that prioritises the privileges of the elite over the welfare of the South Sudanese people.”

They call on the transitional government to act with urgency to demonstrably create the conditions necessary for credible and peaceful elections.

The necessary conditions, they say, include expanded political and civic space to enable citizens to express their views without fear or repercussions, politically neutral security forces and funded and operationalized electoral institutions.

They also call on the country’s leaders to show public commitment to dialogue and the rejection of violence as a tool for political competition.

“We urge South Sudan’s leaders to work toward sustainable peace, in particular through the Tumaini Initiative in Nairobi and broad-based leadership-level dialogue in Juba. It is also essential that the voices of women and youth are heard.”