By Staff writer
President, Salva Kiir Mayardit arrived Arusha, in Tanzania for East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit, where he is expected to assume the chairmanship of the bloc.
The tenure of President Evariste Ndayhimiye of Burundian comes to an end while South Sudan takes over with President Salva Kiir as the chairperson.
It will be the first time President Kiir takes on a bigger mantle of a regional bloc since South Sudan joined the East African Community.
Once a chairperson, President Kiir is expected to steer the community’s agenda for the next year, with a focus on strengthening regional integration, boosting trade, and tackling emerging security challenges in the region.
The summit brings together the leaders of the seven member states that make up the EAC, namely Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
It will be held under the theme “Accelerating Economic Recovery through Climate Action and Enhancing Food Security for Improved Livelihoods.”
South Sudan officially joined EAC on April 16th, 2016.
Press Secretary Lily Adhieu Martin in the office of the president stated that President Kiir’s nomination as Chair of the regional bloc demonstrates the Country’s commitment to further regional integration.
Apart from the various positions held by a number of South Sudanese in the EAC Secretariat, South Sudanese have been witnessed benefiting from the higher education scholarship programs of the bloc.
The country has also made a valuable contribution to the restoration of stability in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through the 300 South Sudan People’s Defense Forces’ (SSPDF) battalion currently in the DRC.
The EAC Head of States in September extended the mandate of the East Africa Community Regional Forces (EACRF) in the DRC by three more months, from September 9, 2023, to December 20, 2023.
They applauded the forces for setting the bar higher through a noticeable performance that has witnessed the restoration of peace and stability in the DRC.