South Sudan’s Kiir Invited to Attend US-Africa Summit

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (Getty)

November 22, 2022 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir is among 45 African Heads of State to attend the second US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington from December 13-15.

The summit, US State Department announced at a virtual press conference on Tuesday, will discuss peace and security, climate change and food security on the continent.

“We expect some of the outcomes to be deepening and expanding reflection of our long- term US-Africa partnership while we advance our shared priorities to amplify African voices,” said Robert Scott, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Next month’s summit is a follow-up of the first summit in August 2014 convened under the President Barack Obama administration.

Scott said this year’s summit is geared at recalibrating US-Africa relations under the prevailing geo-political condition.

“We are looking at complementing our relationship. The world we are living in now is different from 2014,” he noted.

The first-day of the summit will include back-to-back forums for different themes from African-diaspora, peace and security, and governance, among others. Day two is scheduled for the US-African business forum to explore investment opportunities on the continent.

Dana Banks, the National Security Council senior adviser for the summit, said they also invited civil society actors, youth groups and youth leaders to the forums.

The invitation, however, excluded countries like Sudan, Mali and Burkina Faso where their leaders seized power through a military coup.

(ST)