South Sudan looks to Tanzania for aid

South Sudan's General Taban Deng Gai. He made the request Tuesday after meeting with Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Ms Samia Hassan, at the on going 29th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. PHOTO FILE | NATION

South Sudan has requested for Tanzania’s assistance in training its nationals in the health, agriculture and education sectors.

Juba has also requested Dar es Salaam to send Swahili teachers as South Sudan, the newest member of the East African Community, moves to introduce it in its school curriculum and adopt it as an official language. The EAC Treaty calls for the promotion of Kiswahili as the main language to be used while dealing with regional issues.

This was revealed in a statement issued by Tanzania's vice president Ms Samia Hassan on Tuesday after a meeting held with her South Sudan counterpart Taban Deng Gai on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mr Gai appealed to Tanzania to bear with the war-torn country as it struggles to restore peace.

The two countries' Foreign Affairs ministries have been tasked with developing a special framework that will guide the areas of co-operation including security.

South Sudan was admitted to the EAC in March 2016 and was made an official member in September the same year after depositing the instrument of ratification on the Accession to the Treaty with EAC Secretariat in Arusha. However, ongoing civil war has limited the country's ability to conform to key conditions for membership.