South Sudan sends delegation to Arusha ahead of EAC talks

Presidents from right Uhuru Kenyatta(Kenya), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Salva Kiir (South Sudan) during the Intergration Project Summit at the Office of the President, Urugwiro Village in Kigali, Rwanda. A High Level Mission from South Sudan has visited the East African Community (EAC) headquarters in Arusha ahead of negotiations that could see the country join the regional bloc Photo\PSCU 

By Christabel Ligami and Hellen Githaiga

In Summary

• A High Level Mission from South Sudan has visited the East African Community (EAC) headquarters in Arusha ahead of negotiations that could see the country join the regional bloc
• Negotiations to start by the end of the year
• In April last year, a verification committee from the EAC Secretariat visited South Sudan to establish the country’s level of conformity with the criteria for admission into the bloc

A High Level Mission from South Sudan has visited the East African Community (EAC) headquarters in Arusha ahead of negotiations that could see the country join the regional bloc.

The delegation led by Aggrey Tisa Sabuni, the minister of finance, commerce, investment and economic planning was hosted by the secretary general of the East African Community Richard Sezibera.

Mr Sabuni, in a press conference said the purpose of their mission included assessing the requirements for South Sudan to join regional bloc ahead of negotiations that are expected to start in the next few weeks

“The first meeting of the EAC High Level Negotiations Team on the admission of the Republic of South Sudan will take place before the end of the year,” said the EAC Secretariat in a statement.

South Sudan’s high level mission comprised of 10 ministers, the deputy speaker of the national Assembly, chairpersons of various committees of the Assembly, undersecretaries and director generals.

In April last year, a verification committee from the EAC Secretariat visited South Sudan to establish the country’s level of conformity with the criteria for admission into the bloc and in November the same year the EAC heads of state summit directed that the Council of Ministers negotiate South Sudan’s admission.