South Sudan’s First-Ever General Election Could Be Marred by Guns on Politicians’ Shoulders, Catholic Bishop Warns

Asked whether South Sudan is finally ready for elections, the South Sudanese Catholic Church leader replied, “I cannot say that South Sudan is finally ready for an election. But the government says the country has to go to the polls.”

He, however, clarified, “As it is, going for an election could cause problems. But again, not going for this election is still causing problems. So, one or the other must be done.”

Bishop Hiiboro told ACI Africa that he is yet to see any tangible signs that the South Sudanese government is adequately preparing for the country’s first-ever general election.

“What we have only heard is the president say that they are reforming the constitution to open the way for the election. But no civic education has started. There’s nothing mentioned about the registration. There’s nothing yet being done to prepare the people who will be monitoring the elections,” he said.

The Local Ordinary of Tombura-Yambio Diocese since his Episcopal Consecration in June 2008 said that he had heard the government say that it lacks money to conduct the poll.

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Cautioning against looking outside for funds to have the planned election, he said, “If you allow different people to give you money for the election, won’t those people have power over you? You allow your country to be financed for the election, isn’t that selling the government of South Sudan?”

Asked whether he has observed any major political shifts since the election date was announced, Bishop Hiiboro said, “So far, I haven’t seen any campaigns. Not many political parties have been registered. I think the challenge is the registration fees required which happens to be very high for most people. This, I believe, is a way of discouraging those who would really love to have their parties registered.”

The South Sudanese Catholic Bishop appealed to citizens of the world’s youngest nation to see the beauty of their country and its people above any political interest.

“Elections will come and go but the country and its people will still be here,” he said, and appealed, “I am calling for reconciliation, understanding the people and the politicians before we go for the election.”

According to him, “If we see we are not able to work together, then we can delay the election. If we could know that going to this election will bring war all over again, then it would be prudent that we wait.”

Catholic Bishops in South Sudan have been consistent in their call for reconciliation ahead of the country’s election, Bishop Hiiboro went on to say, adding that apart from the pastoral messages they have been sending out, Catholic Church leaders organize individual contact with South Sudanese leaders and influencers.

“We try to meet, in person, those leaders we believe have power influence over the masses and we talk to them in the absence of the media and cameras. We have found this approach to be very fruitful because nobody wants to be exposed to be like the obstacle against peace,” Bishop Hiiboro told ACI Africa.

The Local Ordinary of the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio, who also chairs the Commission for the Promotion of Integral Human Development of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC), said that, recognizing that South Sudan’s political groupings are “sharply opposed to each other,” faith leaders first engage each side separately before facilitating dialogue among them.

“I can’t count the number of times I have gone inside bushes to talk to rebels into coming back home. I have completely dodged guns to get deep into bushes to work on young people who took arms to fight. Many times, the success has been huge,” Bishop Hiiboro told ACI Africa on July 23.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya’s Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.