South Sudan is not ready to hold elections, warns top UN official

UN peacekeeping chief Jean Louis Lacroix told the Security Council on Tuesday that South Sudan is not ready to hold elections and more needs to be done.

 “The impact of the conflict in Sudan deserves special attention,” he stressed, warning that the South Sudanese economy is overwhelmingly dependent on oil revenues and could stall should the conflict in Sudan affect the flow of oil to Port Sudan.  

“A loss of oil revenues in this context could have catastrophic humanitarian and security consequences for the entire region,” he said, adding the consequences would be disastrous for the already fragile country and the wider region. 

He said more than two-thirds of the population in South Sudan relies on aid from the international community for their essential needs, with women and children being the most at risk. 

Mr Lacroix said the peace agreement remains the only viable framework to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan.