South Sudan is Urged by the UN Ambassador to “Make Transition Extension Count”

After South Sudan’s authorities declared an extension of the current transitional period, UN Special Representative for South Sudan Nicholas Haysom gave his first news briefing today, October 9, saying, “They must make this latest extension count.” South Sudan’s attempt to hold its first democratic elections has been postponed for two years, until December 2026, as a result of the extension.

The only way forward, he continued, is for South Sudan’s leaders to figure out ways to implement a critical mass of the important political and operational benchmarks outlined in the R-ARCSS, as stated by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. To be clear, from our point of view, the clock is ticking right now, so they need to make the most of this most recent extension if they want to keep the confidence and trust of their people.

By working with national and state political parties to increase knowledge of what is needed from them in order to undertake elections, the UN is giving priority to assistance in attaining tangible results. Among these is the ability to have thoughtful answers to the ten questions posed to the political elite more than a year ago. These questions have not yet been addressed. According to Haysom, these enquiries look at fundamental issues like the type and format of elections the nation wishes to hold, the involvement of refugees and internally displaced people in the voting process, and proportional representation—which ensures that different segments of the general electorate are represented fairly and that every vote accurately reflects the will of the people.

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