Kiir begins regional peace mission as EAC chairperson

February 23, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has embarked on a regional peace and diplomatic tour, his first official engagement since becoming the chairperson of the East African Community (EAC).

Kiir, the EAC chair since December 2023, left for Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday.

The South Sudanese leader met President Paul Kagame and discussed strategies for strengthening inter-state relations within the EAC, addressing regional peace and security concerns, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Accompanied by his First Deputy President Riek Machar and senior officials, Kiir will continue his tour to Burundi, meeting President Evariste Ndayishimiye, and then the DRC, where he will hold talks with counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi.

The tour, according a statement from the office of the president, aims to mend relationships between member states and resolve ongoing conflicts within the region. Following these visits, Kiir will convene an EAC Summit of Heads of State.

However, the South Sudanese leader’s arrival in Kigali on Thursday coincided with the spiraling confrontation between Rwanda and neighbouring DRC. The conflict stems from an ongoing military campaign by Kinshasa and allied troops to expel the M23 rebels from the eastern part of the country.

Apart from the conflict with Kinshasa, Kigali is also locked up in a tussle with Bujumbura with Burundi, accusing Kagame of supporting the Burundian rebel group Red Tabara, which stands accused of heinous crimes against civilians.

Kiir’s diplomacy comes at a time when the African Union Commission (AUC) warned the west against interfering with internal affairs of the DRC and Rwanda.

(ST)