The European Union has regretted the postponement of the December 22 General Election in South Sudan and challenged the leadership to ensure the two extra years are used to make a difference.

Last week, South Sudan’s transitional government postponed the December 2024 general elections until December 2026, citing a lack of preparedness.

This is the second time the country, which gained independence in 2011, is postponing elections and extending a transitional period that started in February 2020.

The country is going through an economic crisis that has seen civil servants and members of the organized forces go unpaid for almost one year.

In a statement after the third extraordinary meeting of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the EU Ambassador to South Sudan, Timo Olkkonen, regretted that another extension had become necessary.

The EU envoy said it was a confirmation that the commitments made by the political leaders to the people of South Sudan were not delivered upon following the signing of the roadmap in August 2022. Olkkonen challenged the leadership to ensure the extension window is used effectively to implement the outstanding provisions of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

“The R-ARCSS was designed to guarantee sustainable peace for the people of South Sudan, who have suffered from violence, insecurity and lack of rule of law for far too long. It remains essential to preserve the integrity and validity of this agreement,” Olkkonen said.

RJMEC on Wednesday voted to endorse the postponement of the General Election, thus the extension of the current transitional government to 2026. Juba had cited the lack of funds as the reason for rescheduling the poll.

“Regarding funding, we expect the Government of South Sudan to make a commitment to use its own resources, including those from natural resources, to fund relevant institutions,” the envoy said.

The EU, the US, Norway and Britain abstained from the Wednesday vote. They said the reasons advanced for the extension of the current government were the similar to those advanced for previous postponements. By Radio Tamazuj