President Salva Kiir Mayardit
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit, also known as Salva Kiir, has vowed he would not return the country to war.
Speaking as the once troubled country marked a decade of independence, the President urged the country’s citizens to work together and ensure peace reigns in the country.
“I assure you that I will not return you back to war again. Let us work together to recover the last decade and put our country back to the path of development in this new decade,” he said in an address to the nation.
South Sudan became the world’s newest nation when it gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011.
The independence ended decades-long struggle for statehood from Sudan but the celebration was short-lived as the country plunged into a civil war that claimed almost 400,000 lives and displaced four million people
Peace was however restored after a ceasefire in 2018.
Kiir said the current “cessation of hostilities is because of a new spirit of dialogue among the parties to the (peace) agreement which has reduced the huge trust deficit.”
He added that the priority of the Transitional Government of National Unity was a total implementation of the power-sharing accord, “with a focus on security sector and economic reforms” in the oil-rich country.
“These two priority areas will stabilize our country and ensure economic growth through an increase in production leading to socio-economic development.”
He said more oil fields have been opened and a refinery to supply the domestic market and export to neighboring countries “will soon be fully operational”.
Despite the special occasion in the country’s short lifetime, there was no jubilation in the streets as people were told to stay indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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