South Sudan lauds Kenyan poll outcome as strategic for its survival

JUBA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Monday said the recent election outcome in Kenya that renewed President Uhuru Kenyatta's term in office remains strategic to the political and economic survival of the world's youngest nation.

President Salva Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Xinhua in Juba that Kiir has already conveyed his congratulatory message to Kenyatta and looks forward to strengthening already existing bilateral relations with the region's economic powerhouse.

"Kenya is a strategic neighbor to South Sudan and therefore its election is strategic. We congratulate whoever has won and this should not be taken as political," Ateny disclosed.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mawien Makol lauded Kenya as partner in the regional group Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that helped broker the shaky 2015 peace agreement to end more than four years of fighting.

"Kenya is a strong partner in the IGAD and East African Community (EAC). Our relationship will stay the same and we will still pursue our relation like we used to," he said.

Oil rich and yet impoverished South Sudan became last year the sixth member of the regional trade bloc EAC that includes Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi which it hopes to benefit from in terms of trade, education, health and infrastructure services.

Kenya's port of Mombasa remains the largest transport corridor for most of the countries in the region, including land locked South Sudan that relies heavily on fuel and food imports from the region.

The war-torn country is also part of the Northern Corridor project on infrastructure in the region that is pursuing ambitious joint infrastructure projects like oil pipeline, roads and rail projects.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after political dispute between President Kiir and his former deputy Machar led to fighting that pitied mostly Dinka ethnic soldiers loyal to Kiir against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.

The 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital forcing Machar to flee into exile.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions that have sought refuge in neighboring countries.