Juba, Dec 24 (IANS) More than 90 per cent of South Sudanese support the long-awaited elections that have been postponed twice because some outstanding issues have not been resolved, the United Nations said in a survey released on Tuesday.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) commissioned a perception survey that confirmed the importance of holding elections. The survey, which was released in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, interviewed people about the economy, security, peace and democracy, civic space, and the impact of UNMISS' activities.

Despite the wide support for elections, respondents, however, pointed to obstacles that need to be overcome despite the support for elections, including the lack of preparations, security, political cooperation, and funding.

The survey, which was conducted in April and May and collected views from 2,231 people in 10 states across the country, shows that 78 per cent felt that international support is needed for peaceful, free, fair, and credible elections to be held.

"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.

According to the survey, while 57 per cent of respondents believed that the media is free to report in South Sudan, 69 per cent felt that the same freedom does not extend to the public, and 32 per cent reported that a member of their household had been intimidated, threatened, arrested or attacked for publicly sharing their views, Xinhua news agency reported.

The survey also identifies significant security concerns, with 53 per cent of respondents perceiving South Sudan to be very or somewhat unsafe.

Looking at the past five UNMISS surveys, there was a sharp spike in insecurity in 2023, with the number of respondents feeling unsafe rising from 23 to 57 per cent. This declined slightly to 52 per cent this year, but concerns clearly remain.

On the future peace, the survey reveals that 77 per cent felt the situation was likely to either improve (44 per cent) or at least remain the same (33 per cent), while 11 per cent said it would worsen.

The study also reveals that optimism about sustainable peace has declined from a high of 92 per cent in 2020 to about 77 per cent in the past two years.

In terms of UNMISS' work to support South Sudan, 79 per cent of respondents felt that the mission was performing much better (24 per cent) or better (55 per cent) in protecting civilians, a 10 per cent improvement compared to 2023.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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