Juba, South Sudan – H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, the First Vice President of South Sudan, held a meeting with the United States Ambassador to South Sudan, Michael J. Adler, on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The meeting took place at the residence of the US Ambassador in Juba and focused on the progress of the revitalized peace agreement and the upcoming general elections in the country.
During the meeting, H.E. Dr. Machar reiterated the readiness of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) – In Opposition (IO) for the elections. However, he emphasized the importance of meeting all the necessary prerequisites for the elections to be successful. These prerequisites include completing security arrangements, repatriating refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their original areas, conducting a national census to determine electoral boundaries, establishing a permanent constitution, and ensuring the availability of funds for electoral activities.
The US Ambassador expressed his concerns about the slow progress in completing the formation and deployment of unified forces that are necessary to ensure politically neutral security forces.
The Ambassador noted that the key steps needed for the conduct of elections include opening up the civic space, having neutral security forces, providing funding for electoral processes, avoiding violence as a tool of political competition, and committing to dialogue.
The First Vice President stressed the importance of the parties reaching an agreement on the middle echelon of the necessary unified forces to expedite the deployment process of the second batch (Phase II). He assured the US Ambassador of his and the SPLM’s (IO) commitment to fully implementing the peace agreement in both letter and spirit.
The meeting between H.E. Dr. Machar and Ambassador Adler highlights the ongoing efforts to ensure a peaceful and successful electoral process in South Sudan.
