The European Union on Thursday unveiled plans to execute a seven-year budget of 208 Euros for development programs in South Sudan.
Speaking to journalists at a meeting in Juba on Thursday, EU Head of Cooperation, Wim VandenBroucke, said: “The strategic plan for development by the EU for South Sudan will run for seven years, 2021 until 2027. In the past, we had all kinds of separate elements and financing instruments but due to both technical and political reasons we could not have a strategic plan for South Sudan, but now we have an agreement which has created a platform for us to make a development plan for South Sudan.”
“The main objective is to go in partnership with the government to go to a more stable and resilient South Sudan. Everybody talks about the need to pass from humanitarian to development aid.”
Meanwhile, the French Ambassador to South Sudan Christian Bader said the country does not need guns but development.
“The problem in this country is not the lack of weapons; it is the excess of weapons and where they are and the supplier of weapons. And you might think it is coming from the neighbouring countries, but you might also think the guns are coming from other people who are just playing some games. We cannot be blamed for having an embargo on weapons,” Ambassador Bader said.
Ambassador Bader added, “But is this a country where a lack of weapons is a problem, I think this is the opposite, everybody has weapons in this country. And when you look at the weapons, it is not an old rifle from your grandfather; it is big, big, big new RPGs, 16mm and brand new stuff and even armoured vehicles.”