The Trilateral Mechanism which comprises the European Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), United Nations, and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission on Monday urged the Government of South Sudan to provide clarity on the elections roadmap and open political and civic space.
Addressing reporters following a meeting between the Mechanism and the Political Parties Council in Juba, Guang Cong, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in South Sudan for Political Affairs, called on the government to focus on the opening of civic and political space.
“We discussed the progress that they have made and also the challenges that they are facing and also their expectations on how the international community can better support them,” he said. “For the trilateral mechanism, we emphasize the importance of civic-political space, we also call upon all the parties to agree on the way forward and also to provide clarity on the electoral roadmap.”
Cong added: “We assured the chair and also all members of the council of the full support of the trilateral mechanism and our continued technical assistance, capacity building, and training in different areas.”
For his part, James Akol Zakayo, the Chairperson of the Political Parties Council, said they briefed the mechanism on their plans and achievements since the reinstitution of the Political Parties Council.
“We briefed them on the achievements of the council in the last 180 days regarding the electoral-related activities. As you all know, the council activities are not only limited to elections and it is a continuous process because registration continues,” he said. “We also updated them on some other challenges that we face in regards to how we operate and we have updated them on what we plan to do in the next few months.”