France has hailed ongoing reforms to promote more prudent use of resources and efficiency at the East African Community Secretariat.

French Ambassador to the EAC, Ms Malika Berak, pledged her country’s willingness to provide support to the ongoing Inter-Burundi Dialogue.

Amb Berak reaffirmed France’s commitment to the success of the mediation which is aimed at promoting peace, reconciliation and security in Burundi. The Inter-Burundi Dialogue is being facilitated by Benjamin William Mkapa, former President of Tanzania with support from the EAC Secretariat.

Amb Berak said that France as a member of the European Union knew that regional integration initiatives were full of challenges hence the country’s desire to work closely to promote integration in East Africa.

She described as timely and long overdue the reforms being undertaken by the EAC Secretariat to promote fiscal efficiency and accountability.

The French Ambassador made the remarks when she paid a courtesy call on the EAC Secretary General, Amb Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

In response, Amb Mfumukeko said the EU and France were some of the largest contributors of financial support to the Community.

Amb Mfumukeko said the Inter-Burundi Dialogue was well on course with the next round of talks due to be held in Arusha, Tanzania this month.

Amb Mfumukeko said the EAC was committed to improving in terms of performance and delivery on its mandate of driving the integration process forward, adding that he had dedicated his first two months in office to putting in place reforms at the Secretariat.

“We are in the process of deep thinking, looking afresh at our priorities, appropriate allocation of resources, our budgeting and planning process, and seeking to learn from Brexit,” said the Secretary General.

He said the EAC was in the process of re-engineering itself in addition to re-energizing its staff for purposes of increasing productivity, adding that the Community would be receptive to ideas from Partner States, Development Partners and all stakeholders in the integration process on how to undertake the reforms.

Also present at the meeting were Mr. Philippe Boncour, Counsellor and Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation Mr Charles Njoroge and other senior EAC officials.

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Following the Thursday clashes between forces loyal to South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, and his First Vice President, Riek Machar, the two top leaders have called on their military commanders in the national capital, Juba, to desist from escalating fighting in the capital.

Machar’s spokesperson, James Gatdet Dak, said the two leaders spoke on the phone shortly after yesterday’s clashes and vowed to restrain their respective forces.

“The two Commanders-in-Chief, President Salva Kiir of SPLA and First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar of SPLA (IO) have agreed to order their army Generals not to escalate the situation,” Dak said Thursday evening.

He said calm had returned to the city and there were no more clashes during the night.

The two rival forces accused each other over who was responsible for the fighting which left at least four soldiers dead and three others wounded.

While the spokesperson of the SPLA forces loyal to President Kiir blamed the SPLA-IO for the confrontation, the SPLA-IO narrated how the clashes started, squarely blaming it on the SPLA.

“SPLA IO Responsible for Juba Clashes,” Brig. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, wrote in a short message he posted on his Facebook page on Thursday evening after the clashes.

Koang did not elaborate on how the fighting started.

However, the SPLA-IO on the other side in an explanation claimed the SPLA started the fighting by attacking their soldiers travelling in a vehicle.

Dak said their soldiers who took food to their colleagues who have been guarding the office of the First Vice President at night in the town were attacked at 8:00 pm by SPLA forces on Gudele road while travelling in a vehicle on their way back to Jebel Kujur base.

He said the clashes started when their service vehicle was stopped by SPLA forces near Lou Clinic junction, adding that when the SPLA-IO soldiers asked the SPLA troops deployed on the road to release the vehicle, the SPLA officer in charge instead ordered his troops to arrest all the SPLA-IO soldiers.

“As the SPLA (IO) soldiers tried to withdraw to their vehicle in resisting the arrest, then the SPLA forces fired on them. This is how the clashes started,” Dak further said.

At least four of the SPLA soldiers were killed, one wounded. Two SPLA-IO soldiers were wounded.

In another incident on Thursday night at around 9:00 pm, a US embassy bullet proof car with 7 diplomats travelling inside was attacked, sprayed with 50 rounds of bullets by suspected SPLA soldiers.

Officials said the incident occurred in the SPLA controlled residential area near the US embassy in the town center, near the government headquarters.

The diplomats all survived as the car is armoured. No statement yet released by the US embassy in Juba about the incident.

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