South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit is set to assume the chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit at the next ordinary EAC Heads of State meeting.
Kiir will succeed Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, whose term ended in mid-2023.
The EAC heads of state summit is set to take place next week in Arusha, Tanzania, where the EAC heads of state will also discuss climate change and food security.
EAC Secretary General Dr Peter Mathuki disclosed Kiir’s chairmanship schedule in September this year during a meeting of delegates of the regional body.
“President Kiir is expected as the next Chair of the East African Community after Burundi. Kiir’s nomination as chairman is a testament to South Sudan’s commitment to regional integration,” said Dr Mathuki.
Kiir is expected to steer the regional bloc at a time when the region is holding discussions on regional peace and security, particularly the crisis in Sudan and the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where South Sudan has deployed troops as part of the East African Regional Force to help restore peace in the
The EAC chairmanship is a rotating position that is held by each member state for a one-year term.
The current chairperson of EAC is Burundi’s President Ndayishimiye, who was elected in July last year by East African heads of state during the 22nd Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held in Arusha, Tanzania.
He replaced then Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The EAC is a regional intergovernmental organization consisting of seven partner countries including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, while the headquarters is in Arusha, Tanzania.
 Heads of State Summit at the next ordinary EAC Heads of State meeting.){kind=link}