Flags of the Troika Countries | File photo.

The Embassies of the UK, Norway, and the United States have urged South Sudan leaders to embrace peace and people’s right to a government that is responsive to their needs as opposed to a small elite.

The Western embassies issued a joint statement on Tuesday following a meeting with Minister of Presidential Affairs Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation James Pitia Morgan on Monday.

The trio said their “engagement to support the people of what is today South Sudan began decades ago, and was based on values including peace, human rights, democracy, and people’s right to a government that is responsive to their needs, and not to that of a small elite.”

They stressed the need for the leaders to “the steps necessary to hold free, fair, and peaceful elections by December this year to demonstrate a shared foundational value in their bilateral relationships.”

The embassies also urged the leaders to reject violence as a tool for competition.

They further stated that “another way to demonstrate alignment with the foundational values in our bilateral relationships would be for the transitional government to start using public revenue transparently to meet public needs.”

“This includes funding for humanitarian support for returnees from Sudan, the health sector, education, and other basic services as well as for consistent salary payments to security personnel and civil servants and funding for necessary electoral institutions.”

According to the embassies, they now look for signs that these priorities are shared by South Sudan’s leaders while warning history will judge them.