By Okech Francis
JUBA
The United States will not support upcoming elections in South Sudan in light of the deep political divisions that continue to dog the nascent country.
At a Friday press conference at the U.S. embassy in Juba, U.S. Ambassador Charles Twinning said Washington believes that holding elections in June – amid the ongoing crisis – would not produce credible results, thus preventing Washington from complying with a previous agreement to support the poll.
"The agreement in May last year was [drafted upon the assumption] that South Sudan would hold elections when a transitional government was in place; this is what we want to see," Twinning said.
"If this is not done, the U.S. government will not support elections in South Sudan," he added.
Late last year, South Sudan's national electoral commission announced that it would hold general elections at the end of June 2015 based on voter information collected in 2010.
Twinning said that the U.S. administration was engaging the South Sudanese authorities in an effort to dissuade Juba from conducting the election on schedule.
"We are engaged in discussions with the government everyday on the issue of the elections," he said.
He added: "We continue to think there isn't much time to organize elections, no security to organize elections. We continue to think it is not appropriate to hold elections. But you are an independent state and you can hold it tomorrow; what counts is credibility."
"We want the best for South Sudan and, at the moment, let us put our focus on the [peace] process," the ambassador asserted, referring to negotiations between the government and rebel forces sponsored by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Electoral commission chief Abednego Akok Kacuol announced that the elections aim to produce a legitimate government by July 9 – when the mandate of the current government, led by President Salva Kiir, expires.
South Sudan is still grappling with a one-year-old crisis that has pitted rebel leader Riek Machar against President Kiir.
Tens of thousands have reportedly been killed in the crisis, close to two million have been uprooted from their homes, and hundreds of thousands now seek shelter in displacement camps across the country.
No funding
Linda Etim, deputy administrator for Africa at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), told Friday's press conference that the agency had decided not to offer any financial assistance for South Sudan's upcoming poll.
"The central question in South Sudan right now is what is being done to resolve the conflict? What is the future?" Etim asked.
"USAID expressed concern about the elections and we are not ready to support it," she said. "We want to see a government that is interested in working with and involving the people in the country, focusing better on humanitarian needs and security."
Etim said the country's warring camps should engage more in the peace process rather than thinking about elections.
"We want both parties to be involved in a peace process; we are more focused on what will come next in this process and we are not ready to support it [elections] at this time," she said.
The USAID official added: "The U.S. is spending billions yearly in conflict areas just to keep people's heads above water. We better look at what investments we need; what we can do to help the country develop."
"We as USAID will remain committed to health services, education services, providing food for all the people in need," she asserted. "We don't want to see South Sudan go down and we won't choose sides."
