The special envoy for the State of Norway to South Sudan and Sudan, Jon Anton Johnson urged the government to solve any disagreements before the election to avoid any potential risk of violence in 2024 election.
Johnson warned of the risks of conducting election without putting up conducive environment like opening political space among other things.
“It (election) matters on [especially] on how it is being organized…when it comes to security, there is a risk of increase in violence and this should not be underestimated,” he stated during the press conference.
Besides having the political will, Johnson said South Sudan needs to establish institution for running its elections to make the exercise smooth.
“That includes the National election commission, and the political parties committee and other key institution,” he said.
“Election is extremely important and we will follow that closely, from the Norwegian side, from the side of Troika and the international community as such,” he added.
He lamented that the implementation of the peace agreement is lagging behind and the most affected areas are on the electoral preparedness.
“A lot of things have to be done and political decisions have to be made and implemented.”
The envoy spoke just a day after meeting President Salva Kiir, who assured him that the government would do everything possible to complete the pending tasks ahead of elections.
“I have been assured during the meeting that this will happen but still it will have to be seen,” he revealed.
The leaders signed the roadmap on August 2022, extending the term of the transitional government and giving more room to accomplish the pending chapters of the peace agreement. This meant that the election would be held in December 2024.
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