Activist, Churches in Regional Advocacy for Peaceful Elections

By Okech Francis

The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization and the South Sudan Council of Churches have stepped up advocacy and lobbying in the region towards peaceful and democratic elections in South Sudan.

According to Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO, deliberations held with the Secretary General of All African Churches Conference, Fr. Fidon Mwombeki on Tuesday centered on “the slow government commitment for creating a conducive environment for the holding of peaceful and democratic elections in December 2024.”

“It was concluded that the time is running so fast and if the government does not double efforts, the chances of holding [elections] by December 2024 is narrow,” he said.

Yakani said the meeting demanded the political leaders in South Sudan to dialogue over issues that remain challenging to the conduct of elections.

“South Sudan political leaders and elites have demonstrated enough political indiscipline and immaturity” and “need to take primary responsibility to secure the country from a fallback into violence due to frictions over the strategy for holding the elections,” he said.

Fr. James Oyet, the Secretary General of the South Sudan Council of Churches who is part of the advocacy urged the regional Christ institutions in Kenya to pray for peaceful and democratic elections in South Sudan.