Ketura Yona Mbara, an SPLM lawmaker representing the Western Equatoria Women’s List, said insecurity had left many lawmakers unable to travel to the areas they represent, questioning how elections could proceed if candidates could not safely reach voters. Bol Toby Madut, a lawmaker representing Warrap State under the SANU Party, said insecurity was a nationwide challenge and argued that military operations alone would not end recurring communal violence. Madut also said the limited presence of police in conflict-affected areas had contributed to lawlessness and backed a parliamentary proposal to summon the Governor of Warrap State. The debate comes as South Sudan steps up preparations for elections scheduled for December. The vote, if held, would be the country’s first since independence in 2011 after repeated postponements under the 2018 peace agreement.