UN calls for South Sudan to fast-track new constitution ahead of polls

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN urged the South Sudanese government on Monday to rapidly expedite work on drafting a new constitution for the war and famine-ravaged nation ahead of critical elections scheduled for next year.

Nicholas Haysom, UN Secretary-General's special envoy for the east African nation, said the drafting of the key text poses "a critical opportunity" for the nation's parties to "agree on the arrangements by which they can live together harmoniously, avoiding a repeat of the two civil wars that have defined the last decade."

"It will allow South Sudanese to consolidate their identity and establish how they want to be governed," Haysom told the Security Council. "This is intended to be an inclusive process that gives a voice to all South Sudanese including the holdout groups, but especially IDPs and refugees, woman, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalized communities."

Haysom urged the government to "immediately" re-form and fund the commission tasked with drafting the constitution, "fast track the establishment of the constitutional drafting committee," and for parliament to reconvene following "its lengthy recess."

General elections are scheduled to be held in South Sudan in late 2024 following nearly a decade of delays prompted by various crises, and Haysom said the UN has received an official request from the government to assist in the running of the polls.

The elections are slated to be held amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in the nation.

Tareq Talahma, the operations chief for the UN's humanitarian affairs agency, told the council that 9.4 million people, or near three-quarters of those living in South Sudan, are at risk of needing humanitarian assistance with the number of refugees in the country growing by 5% since last year.

Nearly 8 million people are estimated to experience acute levels of hunger.

"These numbers of malnourished and severely food insecure people have reached a record high surpassing what was seen during the conflict in 2013 and 2016," said Talahma.