South Sudan's transitional cabinet ministers sworn in

JUBA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's transitional cabinet ministers were sworn in on Monday to officially begin work.

The swearing-in ceremony of 33 ministers and nine deputies was administered by John Gatwech Lul, deputy chief justice in Juba and witnessed by President Salva Kiir, the First Vice President Riek Machar and four other deputy presidents.

Foreign Affairs Minister Beatrice Khamisa Wani and Deputy Minister of Interior Mabior Garang de Mabior who are under self-quarantine are yet to arrive in Juba from Nairobi and will be sworn in at a later date.

"I wish you all the best of luck and I need you to succeed in your duties as you have made your oaths in front of us here. So as the head of the government I will work with you together and to see into it that we are doing the right thing," Kiir told the ministers shortly after taking their oath.

South Sudan's Cabinet Affairs Minister Martin Elia Lomoro said that the duties and responsibilities of the revitalized transitional government of national unity are defined in the agreement in which they are committed to implementing it to the letter and spirit.

"Mr. President, this is an opportunity you have given us as ministers to work for our country, to clean our faces that has been tarnished by the more than six years of conflict that everybody describes as unnecessary," Elia said.

President Kiir last week named 35 cabinet ministers to serve in the transitional unity government after a series of delays.

South Sudan descended into conflict in December 2013, after President Kiir sacked his deputy Machar, who later founded the SPLM-IO, leading to conflicts between soldiers loyal to their respective leaders. Enditem