South Sudan’s Kiir in Uganda for state visit

August 24, 2019 (JUBA/KAMPALA) – The South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit is in Kampala, Uganda for an official state visit.

The Presidential Press Unit (PPU) said Kiir left Juba Saturday morning.

“The President of the Republic, H.E Salva Kiir Mayardit left Juva this morning for a state visit to Kampala,” partly read PPU’s statement.

Kiir, accompanied by the Minister for the Presidency, is scheduled to meet his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni for bilateral talks, which are expected to focus on regional cooperation and security.

The meeting comes just days after the regional bloc (IGAD) convened a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Wednesday to review progress made in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS).

Museveni played a key role in the signing of the September 2018 peace accord, which partially ended South Sudan’s civil war.

The Ugandan leader has, in the past, urged the warring factions involved in the South Sudanese conflict to embrace dialogue in a bid to ensure lasting peace is achieved.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 when President Kiir accused his the former deputy, Riek Machar of plotting to overthrow his rule, accusations the latter dismissed.

The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of others, prompting the United Nations to rank the country as Africa’s biggest refugee crisis.

(ST)