With his death has come concerns that the Darfur conflict would slip down on the agenda, according to several diplomats who spoke without attribution to avoid stoking the tense situation.
In his new role, Kiir tried to address concerns about Darfur after a closed-door meeting with Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa.
"There can be no peace in Sudan when there is fighting going on in Darfur and eastern Sudan," Kiir said, repeating one of Garang's frequent refrains.
"Our commitment is that guns must be silenced in the whole country," Kiir added.
At the same time, Kiir, who has spent most of his 54 years as a rebel, expressed clear sympathies with other Sudanese who have taken up arms against their government.
"People fight to address the grievances that are not being addressed on the table like the one we are sitting," he said.
"When you claim your rights and are not given them, you resort to violence as a way of expressing your discomfort," he added.
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