S. Sudan’s Kiir says ‘no question’ about National Dialogue’s legitimacy

JUBA – South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has said that there is no question about the legitimacy of the National Dialogue which was concluded in the country’s capital Juba on Tuesday.

Kiir made the remarks during a keynote address at the closing session of the national conference of the National Dialogue in Juba today.

“There is no doubt that the outcome of the National Dialogue represents the views of the broad cross-section of our society on the issues raised. This means there is no question about the legitimacy of this process,” Kiir said.

The South Sudanese head of state said all the resolutions and recommendations of the National Dialogue will be incorporated into the permanent constitution whose process has not yet been started.

“We need to remind ourselves that what has been produced in this process must be harmonized by the permanent constitution-making process, which is provided for in the revitalized peace agreement,” Kiir said.

“The revitalized peace agreement is not merely an integral part of our constitution, it is in itself our fundamental law itself, and all other processes including the national dialogue must be ultimately be reconciled with it,” he added.

Speaking just before the president, ND co-chair Angelo Beda urged Kiir to implement the resolutions of the conference saying the nation is looking forward to him. 

“I want to say one thing. Everybody here is looking forward to your excellency that me, on behalf of them, that even if the resolutions are controversial please implement them,” Beda said.

The ND was decreed by Kiir in 2016, but could not be launched until 2017, owing to lack of funds and boycott by opposition groups who see it as an alteration to the revitalized peace agreement.