Okot Emmanuel, Juba
In a statement on Tuesday, President Salva Kiir acknowledged that the issues raised at the recent National Dialogue Conference in Juba represent the majority of the South Sudanese people.
Following the conclusion of the conference, the President pledged to implement resolutions voted on and passed by delegates.
The President noted that issues concerning centralised government, land allocation and resource usage required the full focus of South Sudan’s leadership.
“There is no doubt that the outcome of the National Dialogue represent the views of the broad cross section of our society on the issues raised,” Kiir said.
“This means there is no question about the legitimacy of this process”, subtly referring to criticism from figures such as Lam Akol.
President Kiir’s statement focused on reassuring critics that the National Dialogue Conference would work with, and not in place of, the recent peace agreement. He pledged to include a number of resolutions from the Conference in the South Sudanese constitution.
He noted that “we need to remind ourselves that what has been produced in this process must be harmonised by the permanent constitutional making process, which is provided for in the revitalised peace agreement”.
The National Dialogue Conference was a landmark congress in Juba, featuring civic activists, politicians, tribal leaders and military officials. More photos can be found here.
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