South Sudan envoy to US presents credentials to President Biden

South Sudan Head of Mission to the United States, Dr. Santino F. Watod Dicken, has been accredited by President Joe Biden after presenting his letter of credence on 18th September.

On Monday, the foreign ministry published a statement with a photo of Amb. Dicken and President Biden greeting in the White House, indicating that the he has been officially accredited as the Head of Mission.

“Amb. Dr. Santino Fardol Watod Dicken, presented his letter of credence to His Excellency President Biden who officially accredited (him), as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Sudan to the United States of America,” the statement said.

Dr. Dicken is a renowned diplomat who studied at the University of Bucharest, Romania, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.

He also holds a Master’s Degree in International Business from the University of Worcester in the United Kingdom in 2009, followed by a PhD in political economy from SMC University in Zug, Switzerland, in 2020.

Dr. Dicken joined the diplomatic service in 2007 when Sudan was still one, and established the South Sudan Embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany in 2012, after the country gained independence.

From 2022 to 2023, he served as the Charge d’Affaires, a.i., in the Benelux countries and the European Union, representing South Sudan with distinction.

In November 2023, Amb. Dicken announced South Sudan’s readiness to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention, while addressing the 28th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP-28).

South Sudan is one of the four countries in the world that are yet to join the Convention.