Kiir to head East African Community next year – diplomat

JUBA, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit will next year be elected as the chairperson of East African Community (EAC), according to the regional bloc’s secretary-general Peter Mutuku.

Mutuku made the announcement at a press conference he held following a meeting with President Kiir on Tuesday afternoon in the capital Juba.

“President Kiir will be elected Chair of the East African Community next year, after Burundi,” the senior EAC official said, adding that Kiir’s appointment “will ensure the integration of South Sudanese people into the bloc.”

Mathuki said that Kiir’s election as chairman is a testament to South Sudan’s commitment to regional integration.

The EAC is a regional intergovernmental organization consisting of seven partner countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.

The organization’s goal is to promote economic integration and cooperation among its member states.

The EAC chairmanship is a rotating position that is held by each member state for a one-year term. The chairmanship is responsible for leading the EAC’s activities and representing the organization at international forums.

The current chairperson of EAC is Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye. He was elected in July last year by East African heads of state during the 22nd Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held in Arusha, Tanzania.

He replaced then Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.