South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, on Friday became the newest member of the East African Community (EAC), joining Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda to form a regional bloc.
After signing the ascension Treaty in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir said conflict resolution and upholding peace in his country was his biggest commitment. He also said his country will rise to the levels reached by the EAC member states, describing the bloc as the most integrated in Africa.
“We are equally aware of the major progress that the EAC has made in the recent times. The community is today respected as the most integrated bloc on the continent and one among the best globally. We accept this challenge of competitive open market through hard work and commitment. Tied with necessary reforms, South Sudan will raise to the occasion,” he said.
South Sudan has been at war for over two years, the conflict having been triggered by the December 2013 accusations by Kiir that his then-deputy Riek Machar was plotting to overthrow his government.
Machar refuted the allegations but went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government. The war has killed thousands of people and displaced over two million others. Development in the young nation stalled due to the conflict, with major projects that were started after the secession stopped.
The African Union has been piling pressure on the two factions to get into a peace deal that will lead to the formation of a transitional unity government that will see Machar re-take the port of vice president under Salva Kiir.
On Monday, Machar is expected to return to Juba to ink the agreement and hopefully silence the guns. Ahead of the rebel leader’s arrival, a 1,370-strong force loyal to him arrived in Juba last week to ensure his security. The peace deal catalyzed the admission of South Sudan to EAC, which the country had applied in November 2011, only four months after seceding from Sudan.
