South Sudan should see Sudan's turmoil as 'wake-up call': UN
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The leadership of South Sudan has come under fire from the UN numerous times for its participation in inciting violence, repressing political liberties, and looting public funds.
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Nicholas Haysom speaks during a press conference in Kabul on Feb. 18, 2015. (AP)
The UN representative to South Sudan said on Wednesday that Juba should use the turmoil in Sudan "as a wake-up call" in order to prepare for legitimate elections in the coming year.
Since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, the world's newest nation has lurched from one conflict to another, including a five-year civil war that cost nearly 400,000 lives before a peace agreement was completed in 2018.
However, the government -- headed by President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar -- has mostly failed to fulfill the terms of the peace accord, including creating a constitution.
Kiir has promised to host the nation's first presidential elections by December 2024, but UN representative Nicholas Haysom urged the authorities to move quickly to secure "peaceful, inclusive, and credible elections."
"The situation in Sudan serves as a wake-up call for all of us in South Sudan. It reinforces the imperative to move swiftly in strengthening the foundations for peace, stability and inclusive governance," he told a press conference, adding that "a conducive political and civic environment is required for all political parties, civil society groups, media and all South Sudanese."
The leadership of South Sudan has come under fire from the UN numerous times for its participation in inciting violence, repressing political liberties, and looting public funds.
Elections in February 2023 were supposed to mark the end of the transition phase, but the administration has so far been unable to adhere to important elements of the peace agreement.
Over 190,000 individuals have crossed the border to seek safety due to fighting between the army and paramilitary forces in Sudan, according to Haysom.
South Sudan, one of the world's poorest nations despite having significant oil reserves, has been at war for over half of its history and is still plagued by ethnic conflicts that have political overtones.
Sudan fighters evict Khartoum residents, as clashes in Darfur rage
As battles intensified and violence between the forces of rival generals raged in the western Darfur region, many locals alleged Sunday that Sudan's paramilitaries had forced citizens to leave their houses in the capital's south.
"Members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) told me I had 24 hours to leave the area," Fawzy Radwan, a Khartoum resident told AFP, after taking care of his family's house since the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army broke out in the city more than three months ago.
At least 3,900 people have died and almost 3.5 million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict between army leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
Many of the fighting incidents have taken place in Khartoum's densely populated neighborhoods, driving 1.7 million people from their homes and forcing the millions of those who are still there to seek refuge from the crossfire in their homes amid scarce water and power.
Airspace closure in Sudan extended until August 15
In a statement issued on Sunday, Khartoum International Airport announced that the Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority had decided to extend the closure of airspace to all air traffic until August 15.
The Sudanese civil aviation authorities excluded "humanitarian aid and evacuation flights," which will obtain a special permit from the relevant authorities.
This decision comes against the backdrop of battles that broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces on April 15, prompting the relevant authorities to take strict security measures and close the airspace in order to preserve the safety of citizens and prevent the escalation of tensions.
Based on the nature of the current circumstances, humanitarian aid and evacuation flights will continue and will be granted the necessary permits to fly during the period extending to August 15.
It is expected that the airspace will be reopened after this date, based on security developments and recommendations of the competent authorities.
