Salva Kiir, right, with Riek Machar in September. Photographer: Yonas Tadesse/AFP via Getty Images
South Sudanese leaders will head to the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Francis and other spiritual leaders, weeks before they start implementing a peace deal to end five years of civil war.
President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar plan to travel to the Vatican on Tuesday, according to the president’s spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny.
The meeting, to also be attended by leaders from other churches, will have a prayer session for the country. South Sudan is preparing to be run by a transitional government for 36 months from May. Kiir will lead it, and Machar, his deputy before a rebellion, will be a part of it.
The trip comes less than a month after Kiir visited the Vatican, and he asked the Pope’s help to raise funds needed to implement the peace deal. The cash-strapped government said earlier it’s seeking $285 million to support the expanded government.
READ: Pope Is South Sudan Leader’s Hope in Search for Peace-Deal Funds
South Sudan’s warring sides signed an accord in September to end fighting that erupted in December 2013. About 400,000 people died and 4 million others were displaced by the conflict. The government is now trying to revive oil production that declined by two-thirds to about 120,000 barrels per day because of the conflict.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan refugees storm Kitgum - 09/04/2019 03:01
- In South Sudan, the culture of bribery, but call it normal - 08/04/2019 18:00
- China-South Sudan Oil Deal Raises Red Flags - 08/04/2019 15:06
- South Sudan - Crisis Fact Sheet #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 - 08/04/2019 11:17
- South Sudan: Renewed Hope for Lasting Peace in Juba As Pressure Mounts On Kiir and Machar - 08/04/2019 09:02
Older news items
- Army reportedly clashes with riot police during anti-government sit-in protest in Sudan - 08/04/2019 05:45
- ‘Just Fall, That’s All’: Sudan Protests Seeking Al-Bashir Ouster Gain Ground - 07/04/2019 20:36
- Cattle paid to South Sudan families after girls died in Catholic school fire - 07/04/2019 18:57
- New report shines a light on UN’s peacekeeping in South Sudan - 07/04/2019 18:32
- Is oil money fuelling war in South Sudan? - 06/04/2019 01:47
Latest news items (all categories):
- Uinted Kingdom - Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to South Sudan: Rebecca Fabrizi - 05/08/2026 22:09
- South Sudan rewriting its future with eyes on agriculture and mining boom - 05/08/2026 21:53
- مصر ودولة جنوب السودان تبدآن مرحلة جديدة من التعاون بإطلاق مبادرة القيادة والتميز - 05/08/2026 14:48
- برنامج الغذاء العالمي: السودان يواجه أسوأ أزمة جوع في العالم ويقترب من "كارثة غذائية" - 05/08/2026 14:41
- من التهريب إلى تغيير المنشأ- هل يصبح جنوب السودان محطة الذهب السوداني الجديدة؟ - 05/08/2026 14:30
Random articles (all categories):
- Top FIVE ‘most dangerous’ African countries - 29/09/2023 05:41
- Libya is now a thieves’ kitchen, its leaders a lethal danger to their own people - 22/09/2023 01:08
- South Sudan extends SIM registration through end of February - Bikyanews.com - 11/02/2013 04:33
- South Sudan releases Ugandan journalists - 31/07/2013 05:47
- South Sudan welcomes Sudan's appointment of special peace envoy - 18/10/2018 11:32
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 148318 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 27916 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 25002 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 24325 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 22281 times
