Speaking to delegations in the Assembly’s annual General Debate, Ms. Adeng said the vote would provide South Sudanese people the opportunity to choose their own leaders democratically, 15 years after the country’s independence.

She acknowledged that much work remained: electoral institutions need adequate resources, political dialogue must continue, security arrangements must advance and refugees and internally displaced persons must not be left out.

“The people of South Sudan must increasingly speak for themselves, and they must speak through the ballot […] Political competition must never again become armed confrontation. The ballot must replace the bullets,” she said.

No return to war

Ms. Adeng said South Sudan had faced internal conflict shortly after independence and that implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, meant to end the second Sudanese civil war and develop democratic governance, had taken longer than anticipated.

“The government does not deny these realities,” she said, adding that the challenges should not erase the progress made.

Throughout the transitional period, she said, President Kiir had made one commitment clear – that he will “not take South Sudan back to war”.

Arguing that peaceful elections require security, she called for constructive engagement with the Security Council on restrictive measures.

“South Sudan’s objective is not militarisation,” she said, rather it was professional, unified and accountable security forces under civilian authority and the rule of law.

Sanctions should be instruments for achieving peace with clearly defined objectives, she added.

Beyond peacekeeping

While thanking the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and honouring peacekeepers who had lost their lives, Ms. Adeng said the country did not want to remain indefinitely dependent on international peacekeeping and called for greater investment in its police, judiciary, education and healthcare.

She urged international partners and investors to look beyond the country’s current challenges.

“Do not ask only what South Sudan needs, ask what South Sudan can offer,” she said.

On neighbouring Sudan, Ms. Adeng said South Sudan supported regional and international peace efforts, adding: “Even the longest conflict must eventually reach a negotiated settlement.”

She also reaffirmed support for the Common African Position on Security Council reform, noting that Africa’s Member States have no permanent seat on the Council.

To partners who supported South Sudan through its liberation struggle and independence, she said: “Stand with South Sudan again but let this chapter be a partnership.”