SUDAN OFFICIALS CRYOUT TO MUSEVENI AT KYANKWANZI, WANT KAMPALA TO HOST TALKS
Last evening, H.E. Gen. Malik Agar Eyre Nganyoufa, the Vice Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of Sudan, accompanied by a delegation of top officials met with President Yoweri Museveni.
The delegation was in the country to brief the man from Rwakitura on the ongoing situation in the war-torn country. The meeting took place at the National Leadership Institute (NALI), Kyankwanzi where Gen. Museveni is camping for 10 days with his ‘forest’ of NRM MPs to strategize on national issues ahead.
This meeting was also attended by state minister for regional cooperation John Mulimba and Ugandan envoys to Sudan Their Excellencies, Amb. Dr. Yahaya Ssemuddu and his deputy Amb. Dickson Ogwang Awitong.
In that meeting, the Sudan’s Sovereignty Transitional Council poured his heart out to Jjajja Yoweri seeking his immediate intervention to mediate the current leadership crisis that has resulted in war between the two military factions. The military factions include one for sitting President Gen. Bruhan and his hitherto Deputy Gen. Dagalo Hemedti.
“We have discussed possible mechanisms to fast-track the resolutions of the Extraordinary IGAD Heads of State Summit in order to effect the necessary ceasefire and ultimately pave the way for the return of power to the people of Sudan through elections,” said President Museveni.
According to Museveni, there is also a need for civil society organizations and political activists to play a critical role in building confidence in the process of reconciliation and integration.
While briefing President Museveni about the situations in Sudan, Mr. Malik Agar Eyre Nganyoufa said thus:
“We humbly request that Your Excellency [President Museveni] take the lead in mediating between the two factions and resolve them. This is possible with the help of IGAD and the African Union mechanism”
According to Nganyoufa, there is need for African solutions to African problems.
He described Kampala as the neutral ground to host the peace mediation adding that Uganda should be a key player to monitor ceasefire and disengagement of hostility to ensure restoration of peace, integration of the forces and resort to democratic elections.
“Both Juba and Nairobi may not be the best options to host mediation for the current war in Khartoum, Sudan due to sensitivity of some of the parties based on historical reasons” He told an attentive Museveni. President Museveni emphasized that the two warring factions, including Sudan’s government forces and the Rapid Support Forces, must jointly embrace reconciliation to ensure lasting peace in Sudan with forgiveness and amnesty for past wrongs addressed as of importance to help build a new Sudan where all can live together irrespective of tribal, racial, religious or geographic divides.
He noted that Sudan belongs to its people, who should be given the opportunity to choose their own leader through a democratic process.
War broke out in Sudan in May between the government forces loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who is the Chairman of the Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, and the Rapid Support Forces headed by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
Gen. Museveni on Saturday at 12pm hosted fellow heads of state from the 15 African countries sitting on the AU Peace and Security Council to deliberate on issues about the situation in Sudan. Uganda, through her AU Permanent Representative/Ambassador to Addis Ababa H.E Rebecca Amuge Otengo has been chair of the PSC for the month of May and this was crowned with a conference on Sudan summoned by Gen. Museveni. The summit came after a failed attempt by PSC member countries at Ambassadorial level to undertake a field assessment visit to Sudan. The Saturday Summit meeting was engineered by PSC chair of the month Amb. Otengo and was attended by leaders from Ghana, Tunisia, Uganda, Burundi, Congo Brazaville, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Djibouti, Cameroon, Tanzania, Nigeria, Gambia and Morocco.
