Tony Blair appointed South Sudan government advisor

July 15, 2012 (JUBA) – Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair is set
to become to an advisor to the South Sudan government as part of an
agreement between his charity, the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI)
and the new country’s leadership.

The deal, according to The Telegraph, was reached last month between AGI and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, following a four-day visit to the country at the end of May by David Miliband MP, British former foreign secretary. At the seminar, which was attended by South Sudan’s vice-president and ministers, reportedly the Chinese involvement in the country’s oil industry was also discussed.

South Sudan thus becomes the fifth African nation, including Sierra
Leone, Rwanda, Liberia and Guinea, where AGI now has offices in
presidential departments.

It, however, remains unclear in what capacity Blair will be involved in
South Sudan, while AGI’s South Sudan operation will reportedly be
headed by Miliband.

“The objective of our work is to strengthen the capacity of the new
institutions at the center of the government so they are better able
to lead the country’s development. We hope that our work can help to
deliver improvements to the people of South Sudan,” reads a statement on the AGI website.

No official statement has, however, been issued by the South Sudan
government or officials from the British embassy in Juba, the South
Sudan capital, regarding the ex-premier’s involvement.

The addition of South Sudan to Blair’s portfolio, The Telegraph
argued, gives him influence over the world’s newest nation state,
which was officially recognized a year ago following years of civil
war in the region.

Blair’s appointment comes at a time when South Sudan tries to grapple
with the aftermath of its oil shut down following a dispute with
Sudan. Oil revenues, until then, accounted for about 98 percent of the
government budget.

Also, the new nation has stepped up its fight against corruption, with
the President recently issuing letters to 75 former and current officials,
asking them to account for nearly $4bn allegedly siphoned from the
national treasury. The President has since received lots of support
from lawmakers, the civil society and the public for his
anti-corruption crusade.

Last year, Blair visited Juba and held talks with South Sudan’s
foreign affairs minister, Nhial Deng Nhial before meeting President
Kiir.

During the visit, the former British prime minister pledged his
country’s commitment towards addressing South Sudan’s
post-independence challenges, and assured the latter of full
international community support.

Born in May 1953, Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, a member of the country’s
Labour party served as the UK’s Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007.

During his tenure, however, he was widely criticized for his foreign policy, especially his support of US President George W. Bush’s war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(ST)