Museveni meets S.Sudan First vice president, renews call for peace

President Museveni of Uganda and Sudan First Vice President Taban Deng Gai at Kityerera Presidential Farm in Mayuge District.

Kampale, April 12 (Jonglei Times)-President Museveni yesterday met South Sudan First Vice President Taban Deng Gai at Kityerera Presidential Farm in Mayuge District.

According to a statement the president issued on his social media platforms, the meeting centred around shared areas of transport, electricity and peace in South Sudan.

In the statement, Mr Museveni also called on South Sudanese to denounce violence in the warring country.
“We held a long discussion on shared areas of transport, electricity and also the subject of peace in South Sudan. I call upon all people of South Sudan to refrain from violence. The only politically viable way is peace and dialogue to achieve development,” Mr Museveni wrote.

The meeting comes almost a week after Mr Museveni met some of South Sudan’s former political detainees led by Rebecca Nyandeng, the widow of the fallen freedom fighter Dr John Garang. After the meeting, Mr Museveni posted on his social media platforms that they discussed unitying different political groups in the world’s youngest nation.

Mr Museveni’s senior press secretary, Mr Don Wanyama told Daily Monitor then that the meeting between Mr Museveni and the G10 members was a closed door meeting and therefore no details could be availed.

However, media reports this week indicated that in the meeting, Mr Museveni rebuked the manner in which South Sudan’s affairs have been handled by its leadership, stressing that the country seceded from Sudan with collective support from the East African region.

According to media reports, a source that spoke on condition of anonymity quoted the president as saying: “Meles Zinawi (late Ethiopian prime minister) , Isaias Afwerki (Eritrean president and myself, fought and shed blood in Sudan and compelled Bashir on the table to accept self-determination and independence for the people of South Sudan and now there this claim that the Dinkas liberated South Sudan.

Were we also Dinkas. What about 98.9 per cent voters in the referendum who endorsed your independence and those Americans and Europeans who supported you? Were they all Dinkas?” he asked.

Mr Museveni, in a close political ally of South Sudan President Salva Kiir. The source reportedly said the Ugandan leader was refuting a claim by a section of citizens in South Sudan, advocating views of some leaders, including President Kiir who reportedly look at him and his tribe as having played a big role in liberating South Sudan. “All of us, our people have contributed in the liberation of our country in our own different ways,” Mr Museveni is reported to have said in the meeting.

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