UN warns South Sudan president's actions risk conflict
A UN commission says President Salva Kiir's concentration of power amounts to a 'constitutional coup'.
A United Nations human rights commission warned on Tuesday that South Sudan's 2018 peace deal is being dismantled, calling President Salva Kiir's concentration of power a “constitutional coup”. The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan stated that this action risks renewed conflict ahead of elections scheduled for December.
Yasmin Sooka, chair of the commission, told the UN General Assembly that unilateral legislative reforms have displaced the negotiated settlement. She explained that President Kiir dissolved the transitional government, parliament, and state legislatures on September 22, removing vice-presidents and appointing a caretaker administration answerable only to him. First Vice-President Riek Machar remains detained and excluded from the electoral process.
Commissioner Barney Afako told the General Assembly that South Sudan needs a credible political process to address grievances and manage differences peacefully, rather than just elections. He noted that the current political trajectory promotes exclusion and risks engendering disaffection and destruction. The commission urged member states to attach consequences to violations and commitments to diplomacy.
Why it mattersSouth Sudanese people face renewed conflict and exclusion from political processes due to President Kiir's actions.