Talks on South Sudan admission into EAC shelv

PHOTO | FILE Cabinet secretary for the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Mrs Phyllis Kandie. The CS has said negotiations on the admission of South Sudan into the East African Community have been shelved until October this year.  NATION

In Summary

• South Sudan has witnessed phases of conflicts, resulting in hundreds of deaths.
• Eala Speaker Margaret Zziwa noted that the bloc was looking forward to receiving the country into its fold.

By Nation Reporter
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Negotiations on the admission of South Sudan into the East African Community have been shelved until October this year.

Speaking at the East African Community (EAC) extraordinary summit of Heads of State in Arusha, Tanzania, on Wednesday, the chairperson of the bloc’s council of ministers, Ms Phyllis Kandie, said the regional council of ministers had approved the framework and programme for negotiations with the Republic of South Sudan on its admission to the EAC to commence in January 2014.

“However, South Sudan has requested to reschedule the process until later this year, in September or October, in order to allow the country to undertake national preparations and consultations,” said Ms Kandie in her speech.

South Sudan has witnessed phases of conflicts, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

President Uhuru Kenyatta recently condemned the conflict, urging the country to return to peace.

“We are outraged and gravely concerned at seeing the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians caught up in the internal conflict of the South Sudan Liberation. I also pledged, in the name of Kenya and the region, that we would never again allow a similar genocide to happen within our shores,” said Mr Kenyatta.

In January this year, the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) called on the country to cease hostilities and return to normalcy for negotiations to proceed. Eala Speaker Margaret Zziwa noted that the bloc was looking forward to receiving the country into its fold.

South Sudan applied for entry into the EAC in November 11, 2011.

Other issues at the regional heads of state summit agenda include receiving a progress report of the council of ministers on the East African community institutional review.

“The summit noted that more work and consultations are to be done by the partner states and the council of ministers,” reads the communiqué released at the end of the extra-ordinary Heads of State meeting in Arusha on Wednesday.

The summit agreed to have two ordinary summits every year, on April 20 and November 30, respectively.