Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan, promised on Tuesday that the previously delayed elections, which are now slated for next year, will proceed as scheduled and that he would compete for office.
The only president South Sudan has had since Salva Kiir, a well-known warlord, guided the nation to independence from Sudan in 2011 is the title.
Since then, the youngest nation in the world has seen crisis after crisis, holding itself together only by a flimsy government of national unity that was established following a peace accord between Mr. Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar.
Elections were scheduled to take place in February 2023 following a transition period, but the government has so far fallen short of major commitments made in the agreement between Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar, including the constitution-writing process.
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In a speech to the SPLM party, Mr. Kiir said, “I appreciate the support for my presidential candidature in 2024,” referring to a “historic event.” “The election will take place in 2024, and we are committed to implementing the chapters of the updated peace agreement.”
Riek Machar, his longtime rival, is yet to register his candidature, but analysts predict that he soon will.
Due to problems enforcing their peace deal, the two leaders decided to extend their transitional administration by a further two years in August.
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On Tuesday, Mr. Kiir assured observers that these issues would be rectified “before the elections,” which are anticipated to take place in December 2024.
Despite having large oil reserves, South Sudan is one of the world’s poorest nations and has been at war for over half its history.
A five-year civil conflict that lasted until Mr. Kiir and Mr. Machar agreed to a peace treaty in 2018 saw the deaths of about 400,000 people.
Since then, since the peace agreement’s promises have taken a while to come true, the nation has experienced floods, starvation, resurging violence, and political unrest.
The South Sudanese government has repeatedly been charged by the UN with being behind the violence, as well as with abusing human rights and depleting public resources.
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Nicholas Haysom, the UN’s special representative to South Sudan, cautioned that 2023 was a “do-or-die” year for the country and urged “inclusive and credible” elections to be held in 2024.