President Salva Kiir shakes hands with CEPO leader Edmund Yakani after a meeting in Juba. (-)

Activist Edmund Yakani met President Salva Kiir on Wednesday to discuss the prospect of elections in December 2024, Yakani himself said, adding that he is planning a series of similar meetings with the vice presidents.

The head of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), one of the signatories to the revitalize peace agreement, said his discussion with the presidency is intended to engage the principals on the transitional process.

“I had an opportunity to meet President Salva Kiir. This is in line with the need to engage the principles of the parties signatory to the R-TGONU. I will be meeting is H.E. the first Vice president, other vice presidents and other political parties on the same way,” Yakani said.

Yakani said he delivered five key messages which focused on the government’s preparation for the looming 2024 election, in his meeting with President Kiir.

One of his calls, is the adequate allocation of resources to the recently reconstituted transitional institutions, the National Election Commission, Constitution Review Commission and the Political Parties Council.

“I also demanded for timely allocation of resources to demonstrates a national ownership of the political transitional processes which is ending with the conduct of December 2024 and also a quick move towards completion of the unification reinforces,” he said.

The activist also called on the president to ensure that transitional bodies deliver enough food and non-food items to cantonment sites to facilitate the training and deployment of the second phase of the unification of force.

The unity government has since trained, graduated and commenced the deployment of about 53,000 security force as first phase of the 83 strong forces stipulated in the 2018 peace deal.

About 30,000 forces are expected to be trained and deployed in the second phase of the security arrangement process, amid alleged lack of firearms caused by the current UN-imposed arms embargo on the country.

Mr. Yakani further said he called for an open political and civic space to allow citizens and political parties to have a civic engagement without having any form of restriction.

His fourth message in the meeting with Kiir was Yakani’s reiteration of his previous call on the parties to the peace deal to have a dialogue among themselves to agree on the transitional process.

Yakani said he agreed with President Kiir that elections “most conducted without any delay, without any postponement.”

“In the remaining time, the political parties and the leadership of the country need to demonstrate commitment towards creating a conducive environment for the conduct of the elections and these are my discussion with HE the president.”

He also said he agreed with the Head of State that implementing all preconditions of the peace agreement are very important for credible elections to take place.

“The prerequisites that are required for the conduct of the elections must be implemented and I have also urged them to have a political decision that they can make compromise in relation to the prerequisite for the conduct of elections by December 2024.”

South Sudan is expected to hold its first general elections late this year, as agreed upon by parties to the revitalized peace agreement, after they extended the transitional period for 24-months in August 2022.

This is expected to enable the establishment of a democratically elected government.

While the SPLM In Government insists the polls will be held as scheduled in the peace road map, some opposition parties have questioned the country’s readiness for such exercise, citing unimplemented electoral provisions and lack of political and civic space.

On December 14, 2023, the head of UN Mission in South Sudan said the country is currently not in a position to conduct free and fair elections unless necessary conditions and institutions are in place before the last month of 2024.

Addressing the UN Security Council in New York, Nicholas Haysom said South Sudan must fully implement vital provisions of the 2018 peace deal for it to hold a successful democratic transition.

On January 12, 2024, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar called for implementation of provisions necessary for free, fair and credible elections in a meeting with the UNMISS chief in Juba.

Machar reportedly told Haysom his party, the SPLM-IO is ready, but argued that the country is not ready for elections, which he acknowledged as an important democratic process and the end point of the 2018 peace agreement that ushered in a unity government.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Michael Makuei said on December 7, 2023, that elections in South Sudan can be held with or without full implementation of the 2018 peace deal.

Makuei argued that the 2005 Nairobi-signed Comprehensive Peace Agreement was not fully implemented.