August 15, 2024 (NEW YORK) – It is vital to create an enabling environment for elections in South Sudan as the country takes steps to implement the 2018 peace agreement, the head of the UN mission in the country, Nicholas Haysom said. Addressing the Security Council on Wednesday, Haysom acknowledged that the parties continue discussions to resolve outstanding issues in the implementation of the road map, citing the Tumaini Initiative which involved dialogue between the government and hold-out opposition groups. Haysom underscored that while UNMISS has encouraged an approach where both processes would be mutually reinforcing in the search for consensus among all stakeholders-that is, among formal signatories and non-signatories to the peace agreement- “further clarity is required on how the Tumaini initiative will converge with and thus complement the framework of the Revitalized Agreement”. He said South Sudan is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December, adding that consultations make it difficult to treat the December 22 election date announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC) last month “as a definitive trigger in isolation from other critical factors.” The vote would be the first since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011. Haysom, also …

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