S. Sudan to appoint six regional assembly members
March 2, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan is to appoint, as part of its obligation, six representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), its foreign affairs spokesperson, disclosed.
“South Sudan government is almost becoming a full member in the East African Community and we just need to pay our membership fee. This month, we are expected to choose six members to represent South Sudan to East African parliament,” he told Radio Tarmajuz.
South Sudan became the sixth member of the East African Community (EAC) block after President Salva Kiir signed an ascension treaty in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania last year. The move came after regional heads of states approved the admission of a country, which faces a civil war caused by its two main warring factions.
South Sudan applied for membership to the EAC as soon after it gained independence from Sudan in 2011. However, its application was declined because of institutional weakness.
As a member of the regional body, South Sudan will enjoy all the economic benefits the club currently has to offer (freer movement of labour and capital and, in principle, free trade) and will join the members as they move to increase economic integration (through a monetary union) and eventually establish a single political federation.
The EAC was originally formed by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda before Rwanda and Burundi joined the bloc later on.
(ST)