© UNOCHA/SH. Kans IDP camp in Jonglei state, South Sudan. Security Council on South Sudan: conditions for holding free and peaceful elections have not yet been created Peace and Security
Preparation for general elections scheduled for December is high on South Sudan’s political agenda, but the conditions for a free, peaceful and inclusive vote have not yet been created. The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, Anita Kiki Gbeho, stated this at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday.
Trust between key political players remains fragile, and the lack of opposition representation in key political processes raises questions about inclusivity, she said. In addition, the ongoing trial of opposition leader Riek Machar, who has been in custody for almost a year, is causing concern.
Gbeho noted that the political and humanitarian situation in the country has not improved in recent months. She said decisions and actions affecting the implementation of the renewed peace agreement have increasingly become a source of disagreement among transition actors, undermining trust in government institutions and increasing political tensions. country.
“The highest price is still being paid by the civilian population,” Gbeho emphasized. According to her, regular outbreaks of violence not only lead to new victims and displacement of the population, but also create serious obstacles to preparations for the upcoming elections.Chairman of the Reconstructed Joint Peace Agreement Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, George Aggrey Owinow, said the implementation of the peace agreement has been seriously hampered by the political and military crises ongoing since March 2025. He pointed to repeated ceasefire violations, declining levels of political inclusiveness in the Government of National Unity and failures in the mechanisms responsible for implementation of peace agreements.
According to Ovinou, preparations for the elections are significantly behind schedule, despite the registration of 39 political parties. He stressed that the authorities urgently need to resolve a number of political and legislative issues, including completing the process of unifying the armed forces, ensuring political freedoms for all participants in the electoral process, as well as allocating the necessary financial and logistical resources for the preparation of the vote.Particular attention at the Security Council meeting was paid to the situation of women. The head of the South Sudan Women’s Empowerment Network, Lilian Rizik, recalled that similar issues were discussed in the Security Council back in 2022, but many of them still remain unresolved. She said the protracted transition period, deteriorating security situation and slow implementation of the peace agreement are increasing the vulnerability of women and girls.
Rizik stressed that more than a decade after South Sudan’s independence, women in the country continue to face three major challenges: insecurity, economic hardship and limited political participation. These factors, she said, mutually reinforce each other and impede the country’s sustainable development.
According to the UN, about a third of South Sudanese remain unable to return to their homes, mostly women and girls. Nearly 65 percent of women and girls in the country experience gender-based violence in their lifetimes, with many experiencing it before reaching adulthood.
Participants stressed that without improving the security situation, accelerating the implementation of the peace agreement and increasing women’s participation in political processes, successful elections at the end of the year remain in doubt.