South Sudan appeals for funds to conduct elections

JUBA, South Sudan

South Sudan on Thursday appealed to the international community and the region to provide financial support for the process and conduct of the general election later this year.

Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro said the budget allocations declared by the government are insufficient and require generous contributions from international partners, especially considering the huge amounts demanded by the electoral and constitutional making process as well as the current economic crisis in the country for a nascent country like South Sudan.

"We commit to transparently submit the detailed budget sheets to the region, continent as well as international countries and partners to study and decide areas each could consider assisting South Sudan in its endeavor for democratic transition in December 2024," Elia said in Juba, South Sudan's capital, during a plenary session of the peace monitors, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC).

He said the government requires $40 million to write a new constitution, out of which the government tabled a supplementary budget that will cover only 63 percent of the total amount required.

Elia also said the estimated funds to facilitate the electoral process amount to $228.1 million, while the government has only been able to allocate a supplementary budget that will cover only 15 percent of the total amount required, among other costs, including security required for the process.

South Sudan descended into a bloody civil war shortly after independence in 2011 following a political disagreement between President Salva Kiir and his then-deputy, Riek Machar, that killed about 400,000 people, according to the UN.

Kiir, Machar, and other political leaders signed a peace agreement in 2018 that ended the war.

At the end of the transitional period, the country is expected to conduct a general election in December 2024.