South Sudan loses EAC Secretary-General position over failure to meet “obligations”

2026-03-07 - 13:47

South Sudan has lost its bid to take over the Secretary-General position of the East African Community, with Tanzania reportedly taking the role despite South Sudan being next in line under the bloc’s rotational principle. The development comes as leaders gathered for the summit of heads of state of the regional economic and trading bloc. Kim Gai Ruot, a South Sudanese lawmaker in the East African Legislative Assembly based in Arusha, Tanzania, said the decision was linked to the country’s “non-meeting of obligation.” According to him, the failure to meet certain obligations led to Tanzania assuming the position instead of South Sudan. It is not clear which obligations the country failed to meet. However, according to reports, South Sudan’s arrears to the regional body stand at about $15.5 million, with some estimates suggesting the figure could reach $26 million when accumulated over several years Under the bloc’s rotational principle, the Secretary-General position was expected to go to a South Sudanese national following Kenya’s five-year tenure.