JUBA, South Sudan — More than 90 percent of South Sudanese citizens support holding the country’s long-awaited elections, a United Nations survey has revealed. The elections have been postponed twice due to unresolved issues.
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) commissioned the perception survey, which confirmed the importance of holding elections. The survey, released Tuesday in Juba, gathered information from 2,231 South Sudanese people across 10 states in April and May. Participants were asked about the economy, security, peace and democracy, civic space, and the impact of UNMISS’ activities.
Despite this high level of support for elections, respondents also highlighted a number of obstacles that need to be addressed. These include a lack of preparation, security concerns, a lack of political cooperation, and insufficient funding. The survey found that 78 percent of those interviewed felt that international support was necessary to ensure the elections are peaceful, free, fair, and credible.
“As the country prepares for its first post-independence elections, all stakeholders, including the government and its agencies, must work to create a safe and inclusive environment so that everyone can freely and fully participate in political, democratic, and nation-building processes,” said Nicholas Haysom, special representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of UNMISS.
The survey also revealed South Sudanese people concerns about freedom of expression. While 57 percent of respondents believed that the media was free to report in South Sudan, 69 percent felt that the public did not enjoy the same freedom. Furthermore, 32 percentreported that a member of their household had experienced intimidation, threats, arrest, or attack for publicly sharing their opinions.
Security was also a significant concern for South Sudanese, with 53 percent of respondents stating that they perceived South Sudan to be very or somewhat unsafe. A review of the past five UNMISS surveys showed a sharp rise in insecurity in 2023, with the number of respondents feeling unsafe rising from 23 to 57 percent. Although this number declined slightly to 52 percentthis year, safety remains a key issue.
Regarding the future, 77 percent of South Sudanese respondents felt the situation was likely to either improve (44 percent) or remain the same (33 percent), while 11 percent said it would worsen. The survey also indicated a decline in optimism about sustainable peace. In 2020, 92 percent of respondents were optimistic, whereas this has decreased to about 77 percent in the past two years.
The survey also examined UNMISS’ work to support South Sudan. 79 percent of respondents felt the mission was performing much better (24 percent) or better (55 percent) in protecting civilians. This represents a 10 percent improvement compared to the 2023 survey.
