African Union High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea Jakaya Kikwete said on Thursday he had returned to South Sudan to assess preparations for elections expected in December, after holding talks with President Salva Kiir Mayardit in Juba.
“I came back today again for another round of continuing consultations on the processes that are ongoing here, but particularly to ascertain how on the preparedness of South Sudan on the elections that are expected to take place in December,” he said.
He said his visit would also include meetings with institutions involved in the electoral process and constitutional preparations.
“So I finished with the President and now I’m going to talk to the people who are responsible for organizing the elections, that is the National Electoral Commission and the Political Parties Council. I’ll also talk to the people who are working on the permanent constitution,” Kikwete said.
The meeting at State House was also attended by presidential envoy Adut Salva Kiir, Presidential Affairs Minister Africano Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister James Pitia Morgan and IGAD special envoy Moussa Djama Ali.
South Sudan is preparing for its first elections since independence, but implementation of the 2018 peace agreement has been slow amid political tensions and delayed reforms.
President Kiir’s camp has insisted the vote should proceed in December, while some opposition parties, including the SPLM-IO led by detained First Vice President Riek Machar, oppose the timeline, arguing key provisions of the peace deal remain unfulfilled.
Machar, a key signatory to the 2018 peace deal, is currently in detention facing treason charges in Juba.
Kikwete’s visit to Juba comes amid renewed regional and international efforts to push forward stalled peace agreement implementation.
The United Kingdom said on Thursday it supports elections in South Sudan but stressed they must be credible, inclusive and peaceful.
“We want to see elections because elections give South Sudanese finally an opportunity to choose their own leaders and representatives and hold them to account,” UK Ambassador David Ashley said. “But democracy is a process, it’s not an event.”
He warned that holding polls without adequate preparation could worsen instability, particularly if key actors are excluded or if security arrangements remain incomplete.
Kikwete arrived in Juba on Wednesday for consultations aimed at advancing implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and pushing for an inclusive dialogue.
He has recently held consultations with South Sudanese opposition groups in Dar es Salaam, including the United People’s Alliance (UPA), South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA), SPLM-IO factions, the People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) and the People’s Resistance Front (PRF).
Kikwete, a former Tanzanian president, was appointed in March by the African Union Commission chairperson as High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, with a mandate covering South Sudan.
The African Union’s Ad Hoc High-Level Committee on South Sudan (C5) continues to support implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and has previously called for elections, detainee releases, including Riek Machar, and inclusive dialogue among signatories.
and then