{"id":2569,"date":"2024-03-22T09:51:42","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T09:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africansforthehorn.org\/?p=2569"},"modified":"2024-04-12T14:17:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T14:17:19","slug":"pressure-mounts-on-revitalized-transitional-government-of-national-unity-as-csos-calls-for-key-benchmarks-to-be-met-ahead-of-the-december-2024-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africansforthehorn.org\/pressure-mounts-on-revitalized-transitional-government-of-national-unity-as-csos-calls-for-key-benchmarks-to-be-met-ahead-of-the-december-2024-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressure Mounts on Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity as CSOs Calls for Key Benchmarks to be met ahead of the December 2024 Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

22 March 2024, Juba\/Nairobi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Halima Ahmed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of the December 2024 polls, Africans for the Horn of Africa (Af4HA) Initiative<\/a> and South Sudan civil society urges the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) to engage in political dialogue and address outstanding issues on the preparation of the elections, emphasizing the need to restore public confidence in the transitional process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 19 to 21 March 2024, the South Sudan Civil Society Forum <\/a>hosted a pivotal event, christened the Civil Society Conference on the Way Forward for the Transitional Process. Af4HA joined South Sudanese civil society in deliberating outstanding transitional issues including preparations for the December 2024 general elections, the constitution-making process, transitional justice, and security sector reforms. The CSO Conference was convened South Sudan Civil Society Forum<\/a> (SSCSF) is a coalition of more than 200 independent civic groups including civil society organisations, women and youth groups, academia, community-based organisations and faith-based organisations from South Sudan established in December 2017 to provide consolidated civil society input to peace processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A resolution signed by 74 organisations titled \u201cJuba Resolution on the Way Forward for the Transition in South Sudan<\/a>\u201d issued at the end of the CSO conference expressed concern about the failure to deliver on transition and social transformation initiatives anticipated when the Revitalized Agreement for Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), was signed on September 12, 2018, in an effort to end the South Sudanese civil war. The agreement provided for the formation of the R-TGoNU in 2020 and marked an opportunity for renewed hope and another chance to restore peace, security and stability in a country that has witnessed nearly continuous war since independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights defenders, civil society, representatives from political parties, transitional mechanisms and religious leaders present at the meeting expressed the frustration of South Sudanese with the failure of various transition processes to deliver democratic governance and development. Elections could be a way out of this cycle, however, participants were cautious that a rushed electoral process carries a high risk of violence and instability, saying \u201cAs it stands now, South Sudan is not ready for an inclusive, free, fair, credible, and peaceful electoral process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To pave the way for creating conditions in which this could be achieved the statement calls for dialogue between the parties. This dialogue must: <\/p>\n\n\n\n