by Denis Elamu
JUBA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The South Sudanese government revealed on Thursday that it would send nine representatives to the East African Community (EAC) parliament for the first time since the country became the sixth member state of the regional trade bloc last year.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mawien Makol told Xinhua that despite delay to pay the annual 1 million U.S. dollars to the EAC, South Sudan will soon be selecting nine representatives to the Tanzanian capital Arusha.
"The timeline of doing this was supposed to be in February, but that (selection) is going to happen," he said.
EAC member states like Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have recently been selecting representatives to the influential regional parliament that handles legislation and policy.
South Sudan applied in 2011 to join the EAC, but outbreak of conflict in December 2013 delayed its admission ,which finally came to conclusion in April, 2016.
The landlocked war-torn country, which imports all its goods and services from the EAC countries, has hoped to use its membership to benefit its economy and political stability.
