‘Ballot must replace the bullets’: South Sudan urges sanctions relief as it readies December elections

The useful part

Adeng of South Sudan addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly's 81st session. Adeng said the vote would provide South Sudanese people the opportunity to choose their own leaders democratically, 15 years after the country's independence. She acknowledged that much work remained: electoral institutions need adequate resources, political dialogue must continue, security arrangements must advance and refugees and internally displaced persons must not be left out.

How it works

• "The people of South Sudan must increasingly speak for themselves, and they must speak through the ballot […] Political competition must never again become armed confrontation.
• "The government does not deny these realities," she said, adding that the challenges should not erase the progress made.
• Throughout the transitional period, she said, President Kiir had made one commitment clear – that he will "not take South Sudan back to war".
• Arguing that peaceful elections require security, she called for constructive engagement with the Security Council on restrictive measures.
• "South Sudan's objective is not militarisation," she said, rather it was professional, unified and accountable security forces under civilian authority and the rule of law.

What to take from it

Adeng said South Sudan had faced internal conflict shortly after independence and that implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, meant to end the second Sudanese civil war and develop democratic governance, had taken longer than anticipated. Sanctions should be instruments for achieving peace with clearly defined objectives, she added. Beyond peacekeeping While thanking the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and honouring peacekeepers who had lost their lives, Ms.

Example or evidence

• She urged international partners and investors to look beyond the country's current challenges.
• "Do not ask only what South Sudan needs, ask what South Sudan can offer," she said.

Details worth keeping

'Ballot must replace the bullets', South Sudan tells General Assembly ahead of elections — Global Issues 'Ballot must replace the bullets', South Sudan tells General Assembly ahead of elections UN Photo/Laura Jarriel Ambassador Cecilia A.M. Speaking to delegations in the Assembly 's annual General Debate, Ms. The ballot must replace the bullets," she said.

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