By Kidega Livingstone
As five months are left to scheduled elections, South Sudan’s transitional government is facing growing concerns over a lack of preparedness.
The interim chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), Rtd. Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai warned on Tuesday that delayed unification of armed forces and insufficient resources for key electoral institutions were causing “anxiety” among citizens.
“With barely five months left before elections as scheduled in the roadmap, lack of adequate elections preparedness and lack of progress in the unification of forces is causing anxiety among the population of South Sudan, which is already under pressure from the current difficult economic situation,” Gituai said.
The RJMEC interim chairperson urged the parties to the 2018 revitalized peace agreement to urgently convene and provide clarity on the path forward for the political transition and elections.
Gituai noted some progress had been made in establishing institutions responsible for the constitution-making and electoral processes. However, he warned that a severe lack of resources was hindering their ability to carry out their mandates effectively.
“At the same time, the level of resources made available to these institutions falls well short of their proposed budgets, further hindering their ability to complete the required tasks in line with the R-ARCSS,” he said.
Gituai also highlighted the incomplete redeployment of the Necessary Unified Forces, South Sudan’s future national army, as a major concern.
Troops stationed in training centers and cantonment sites continue to face shortages of food, medicine, shelter and clean water, causing many to abandon their posts.
“As troops wait in Training Centres and Cantonment Sites, they lack food medicine, shelter and clean drinking water, as a result most troops have left their based in search of food and other necessities,” he said.
The RJMEC interim chair called on South Sudan’s leaders to urgently address these issues, warning that failure to do so could further undermine public confidence in the political transition and jeopardize plans for national elections scheduled for December 2023.