Uganda’s Museveni holds talks with Sudan’s Salav Kiir

Uganda’s Museveni holds talks with Sudan’s Salav Kiir

Monday 15 May 2006.

May 14, 2006 (KAMPALA) — Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni and the Sudanese First Vice-President, Salva Kiir, held talks on the bilateral issues between the two country and particularly the existence of the Ugandan rebels in South Sudan.

According to the Ugandan the Monitor, the Sudanese First Vice-President Salva Kiir delivered to the Ugandan president a message from the Joseph Kony the leader of the rebel LRA.

Kony last week met and held talks with Kiir’s deputy, Riek Machar, in the Southern Sudanese jungle of the Equatorial province and expressed his readiness for talks with the Ugandan government.

The South Sudan ruling party Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) leadership under Kiir offered to mediate in the talks between Kony and government.

South Sudan government thinks that Uganda has to engage talks with the LRA rebels, and Sudan could not indefinitely be the theatre of Ugandan army operation against the rebels.

In a meeting held on 4 May, with the LAR, Sudan gave Kony three conditions namely; that the rebel leader ceases killing civilians in Southern Sudan, enters negotiations with Uganda and the third option was failure to comply with the last two, the LRA leaves their territory.

Kony, said he had killed people in Southern Sudan in retaliation for Uganda’s support to the SPLA/M and that he should be given time to stay in Sudan as he negotiates with Museveni’s government. We want irrevocable and irrefutable evidence that Kony is interested in talks,” Minister Oryem said on Saturday. He confirmed that SPLM wanted to mediate in the talks. Oryem said, that apart from the LRA, President Museveni and Kiir discussed the Sudan peace process and its implementation. He said, Museveni appealed to the

The insurgents have traditionally operated from bases in southern Sudan and northern Uganda. However, Otti moved into northeastern DR Congo’s Garamba National Park in September 2005 with up to 400 fighters.

The LRA has waged war in northern Uganda for close to two decades, kidnapping thousands of boys and girls and forcing them to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves.

In 2005, the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued arrest warrants for Kony and four of his senior commanders - including Otti - for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Salva Kiir and his delegation once again congratulated President Museveni for successfully attaining the mandate of the people of Uganda to lead them for another five-year term. Kiir is being accompanied by the minister of foreign affairs Lam Akol and the state minister at the Presidency, Telar Deng.

(Sudan Tribune)

Monitor Online

Sudan VP gives Kony message to Museveni - GRACE MATSIKO KAMPALA

Lords Resistance Army overall commander Joseph Kony has sent a request to President Yoweri Museveni for peace talks. Sudan’s First Vice-President and President of the Southern Sudan Salva Kiir delivered Kony’s message to Mr Museveni at State House, Nakasero on Saturday, security officials said yesterday.

Kony last week met and held talks with Kiir’s deputy, Mr Riek Machar, in the Southern Sudanese jungle of the Equatorial province and asked him to deliver his message to Museveni, sources said.

Before the May 4 meeting with Kony, Machar had met the rebel leader’s deputy, Vincent Otti, in Southern Sudan. Otti also asked for direct talks with the government, a diplomatic source said.

The source said Machar was accompanied to the meeting with Kony by the Southern Sudan’s minister for Police and Security.
The Minister for Regional Cooperation of Southern Sudan was among the other top officials that formed the Sudanese delegation led by Kiir to Museveni’s swearing in ceremony on Friday. They later made a call on Museveni at Nakasero on Saturday.

In the May 4 meeting, Sudan gave Kony three conditions namely; that the rebel leader ceases killing civilians in Southern Sudan, enters negotiations with Uganda and the third option was failure to comply with the last two, the LRA leaves their territory.

According to a source, Kony, said he had killed people in Southern Sudan in retaliation for Uganda’s support to the SPLA/M and that he should be given time to stay in Sudan as he negotiates with Museveni’s government.

A source in State House said that on Saturday Museveni and Kiir held talks where the two leaders discussed the details of Kony’s message among others.

According to sources, the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) leadership under Kiir offered to mediate in the talks between Kony and government.

The outgoing minister of State for Regional Co-operation, Mr. Henry Okello Oryem, told Daily Monitor that government welcomes any efforts towards establishing peace in northern Uganda, which has faced the brunt of Kony’s terror machinery.

“The government’s position is that as much as we welcome any efforts, pressure (military) must be maintained and that these talks should not be long and protracted.

We want irrevocable and irrefutable evidence that Kony is interested in talks,” Minister Oryem said on Saturday. He confirmed that SPLM wanted to mediate in the talks.

Oryem said, that apart from the LRA, President Museveni and Kiir discussed the Sudan peace process and its implementation. He said, Museveni appealed to the parties in the process to ensure it succeeds.

A Press release by State House, said, Museveni and Kiir also talked about trade and regional cooperation.

“On his part Salva Kiir expressed gratitude to President Museveni for his role and support to Sudan to be able to successfully attain the existing peace and harmony between the people of Southern Sudan and Khartoum government” the release said.

It said, Kiir asked for continued cooperation in cementing the relationship between Uganda and Sudan.
The interface between Kony and Machar is the first of its kind by a top government official since 1993 when Ms Betty Bigombe, then minister in charge of the pacification of the North met the reclusive rebel leader at Pagik, Gulu district. Since then Kony has cut direct talks with top government officials and prefers to send Otti or junior officers for talks.

The LRA has waged war in northern Uganda for close to two decades, kidnapping thousands of boys and girls and forcing them to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves. In 2005, the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued arrest warrants for Kony and four of his senior commanders - including Otti - for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, President Museveni has assured the DRC that Uganda is neither supporting any militia in that country nor supplying arms to them.

While meeting the DRC 1st Vice-President, Mr. Azarius Ruberwa and the minister for regional cooperation, Mr. Mbusa Nyamwisi, Museveni called on the DRC not to give “terrorists a holiday or any other territory where they can organise themselves freely to attack any other country”.

“The President told the delegation that Uganda initiated the Lusaka (Zambia) Agreement (on peace process in DRC) to clear the Eastern Congo of terrorists, help bring democracy to that country and form a joint interim government” the press release from State House said.

It said, Museveni said that there is need to make an extradition law to deal with terrorists who use one African country as a base to attack another country. Ruberwa said that Kony’s presence I their country creates mistrust with neighbors and puts the community in danger.

Ruberwa said that the next elections in the DRC would bring in more people with the vision to set the country on the right track.
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