This week, South Sudan announces election date: Will there be peace? Ebola spread accelerates in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amidst armed conflict. Vietnamese official voices support for Thailand-Cambodia peace.
South Sudan Announces Election Date: Will There Be Peace?
On June 22, South Sudan’s authorities set the date of the country’s elections to December 22. The announcement came after repeated postponements and delays. Electoral chief Abednego Akok Kacuol acknowledged that ongoing legal changes and funding issues continue to be a roadblock to elections. Kacuol said “The political will is not ours; it lies with the government.”
When asked what would happen if funds were not secured within six months, Kacuol said his commission would continue planning while adjusting toward a “realistic electoral timeline.”
If the elections are held, they will mark the first national polls since the country gained independence from Sudan 15 years ago.
South Sudan’s conflict is between the military, which is loyal to president Salva Kiir, and insurgents believed to be allied with the suspended vice-president Riek Machar. Fighting between government and opposition forces continues to kill and injure civilians in several states.
On January 15, the UN committed to reducing the number of displaced South Sudanese people by 60,000 by December 31, 2026, and supporting “their stable integration into communities.” The UN’s joint communique on the plan involves the government’s and UN’s assistance in the following areas: land and housing security; basic services and infrastructure development; peacebuilding, safety, and security; coordination and data; and resource mobilization and transparency.
Ebola Spread Accelerates in DRC Amidst Armed Conflict
The spread of Ebola is accelerating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amidst armed conflict. At a meeting in Geneva on June 24, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “There are now 1094 confirmed cases, with 277 deaths.”
This development comes after last week, Tedros said UNHCR was reinforcing preparedness in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and South Sudan. He noted that the organization was working with governments, WHO and partners to strengthen surveillance, screening, infection prevention, communication and water, sanitation and hygiene support in refugee-hosting areas and border corridors.
“We aim to prevent further cross-border transmission without impeding people seeking safety,” he said last week.
One example was a case on June 7, he said, when UNHCR monitored the arrival of some 2,250 people from Mbau, 20 kilometers from Beni, one of the outbreak’s epicentres, after movements of armed groups had triggered panic and led them to flee to Oicha, North Kivu, an Ebola-affected zone already hosting more than 14,300 displaced people. More than 115 UN health agency experts have been deployed across affected provinces, with over 110 metric tonnes of emergency supplies delivered, said WHO interim regional emergency director Dr. Marie Roseline Belizaire.
Vietnamese Official Voices Support for Thailand-Cambodia Peace
On June 22, the commander of the Air Defence Command of the Vietnam People’s Army, Lieutenant General Vu Hong Son, voiced his support for a peaceful solution to Thailand and Cambodia’s conflict. This was at a meeting with General Vong Pisen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF).
Vu Hong Son recalled Cambodia and Vietnam’s long-term allyship, and how the two countries had stood together through past struggles. He stressed that Vietnam is closely monitoring the situation on the Thai-Cambodian border, and supports peaceful measures to bring long-term peace and stability to the region.
The leaders agreed to continue cooperation through delegation exchanges, human resource training, information sharing, cross-border crime prevention and disaster response.
Keywords: South Sudan, DRC, Congo, Thailand, Cambodia, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, election, Ebola, border
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
