UN and US press South Sudan to prepare for elections

S. Sudan President Salva Kiir

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir. The United Nations and United States have urged the leaders in the country to prepare for elections. PHOTO | AFP

The United Nations and United States urged the leaders of South Sudan Monday to do more to prepare for elections due to be held in less than a year or risk "catastrophe."

"As I have stated before, elections have the potential to be a nation-building moment, or a catastrophe," the UN envoy for South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, told the Security Council.