Salva Kiir Takes Office in Juba

21 May 2010 - (Juba) – Salva Kiir was sworn in as President of the Government of southern Sudan at a ceremony in Juba on Friday.

He has pledged that the members of his cabinet will not be selected on the basis of their ethnic background.

President Kiir described the swearing-in ceremony as the end of an era and the beginning of a new phase in the history of southern Sudan.

He promised to form an all-inclusive government.

[Salva Kiir: “In the last two weeks I have been bombarded by unseemly requests from communities rather than from the elite of those communities seeking ministerial jobs. Our government has different arms, legislative, executive, administrative and judiciary. In appointing and nominating persons to positions in the different arms of government, I was ever cautious to ensure representation for all our regions and communities. When people are appointed to high government jobs, as ministers, judges or undersecretaries, they are not appointed to represent their own ethnic communities or geographic regions but to serve the general interest of the public.”

President Salva Kiir was speaking during his swearing in ceremony in Juba on Friday.