South Sudan Faces Critical Decision as Political Transition Nears End
In a recent statement, Mr. Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), emphasized that there is no room for further extension of South Sudan’s political transitional processes. While some lawmakers are secretly proposing a two or five-year extension of the already prolonged 24-month period, Yakani asserts that the only viable alternative, should national general elections fail to take place by December 2024 or early 2025, is the formation of a technocrats government through inclusive national political dialogue consensus.
Yakani strongly opposes any attempts to sustain political leadership through the extension of the transitional period, stating that such a move would not be accepted.
He warns that if elections fail and an extension is imposed without inclusive national political consensus, South Sudan could follow the path of its neighbor, Sudan.
The CEPO Director criticizes the tactics of the presidency, which has remained silent while some allies engage in secret negotiations for a further extension of the transitional period.
Yakani asserts that this approach will not work this time and calls on the presidency to take urgent responsibility for making political decisions and organizing inclusive political party elections dialogue in February, marking the beginning of the final 12 months of the extended period.
CEPO urges political leaders to recognize that citizens are tired of their political games, which only serve to perpetuate instability and power struggles.
The organization vows to actively engage with faith-based leaders to demand a commitment from each political party to reject violent elections and ensure the protection of civic and political space.
