Kenyan President Says Sudan, South Sudan Must Not Go Back To War - Bernama

April 18, 2012 16:34 PM

Kenyan President Says Sudan, South Sudan Must Not Go Back To War

NAIROBI, April 18 (NNN-KBC) -- Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki has called on the East African Community (EAC) to jointly find ways of diplomatically addressing the unfolding events on the South Sudan-Sudan border because the two nations must not return to war so soon after a peaceful separation.

President Kibaki also called on President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan to work closely to resolve the emerging disputes so as not to reverse the gains so far realised after the successful implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which they signed in 2005.

Addressing a special sitting of the East African Legislative Assembly at the Parliament Buildings here Tuesday, President kibaki also referred to the situation in Somalia and said it was going through a defining moment and had a great opportunity to move ahead after 20 years of internal strife.

He asserted that the EAC, made up of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, had a responsibility to the people of Somalia by ensuring the country enjoyed stability. He voiced appreciation for the contribution of Uganda, Burundi and Kenya to the peace-keeping force in Somalia.

Calling on the region to continue extending support to the African Union's initiative to stabilise Somalia, he emphasized that stability in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan was critical to peace and prosperity in the region and that the focus should be on the entry of these countries to the EAC, a move they have already expressed a wish to make.

President Kibaki said stability in the region would enable the neighbouring states to implement many ambitious cross-border projects now in the planning stage. He told the East African Assembly legislators that huge investments were required to inter-connect the region with railways, roads, fiber-optic cables and oil pipelines among vital linkages.

He also called on EAC member states to eliminate non-tariff barriers which continue to hamper the realisation of full benefits of free movement of goods and factors of production in the region. Under their Customs Union and Common Market, all EAC member states must ensure the removal of these barriers which act as a bottleneck to regional integration.

-- BERNAMA-NNN-KBC

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