Uganda can help peace in Darfur by stopping support to rebels, Sudan says
May 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A high ranking Sudanese official said Uganda has to stop its support to the rebel groups in Darfur, if it wants to help to bring peace in the troubled region. Ugandan Prime minister Amama Mbabazi (file/ AFP) The source, the state new agency (SUNA) reported on Tuesday, was reacting to statements by the Ugandan prime minister Amama Mbabazi who met on Monday with the head of the African Union United Nations Mission for Darfur (UNAMID) Mohammed Ibn Chambas. Mbabazi, according to Uganda’s New Vision newspaper, told Chambas that Kampala is ready to help in bringing an end to the conflict in Darfur. He added that Ugandan army would pursue the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels "if they meted terror on Darfur". "The Real assistance that Uganda can provide to bring peace in Darfur is to commit itself to the resolution of the summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) held in December 2011", the source said. The regional body, at that conference, designated Darfur holdout rebel groups groups as negative forces that should be combated. The ICGLR adopted this decision after the refusal of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) to sign the Doha Document for peace in Darfur (DDPD) in July 2011. The Sudanese official said they understand that Chambas who is also the joint chief mediator seeks to persuade the rebel groups to join the peace process. "But what we do not understand is the insistence of the Ugandan government to harbour and to support the rebel groups", he further said. The Sudanese official further said that Ugandan government did not condemn the killing earlier this month of Mohamed Bashar, a former JEM rebel commander who signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government last April. This incident was condemned by the international community and described by the African Union as a "cowardly act, aimed at dissuading the hold out groups in Darfur from joining the peace process", he added. Observers say that Ugandan authorities are now subjected to international pressures over their support to the Sudanese rebel groups. Ugandan security services, until recently, tried to restrict the visibility of Darfur rebel groups and their activities in Kampala. Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni in May 2012 warned Sudan against support Kony’s group. Kampala, in the past, accused Khartoum of supporting LRA rebels saying they were hidden in Darfur region. Sudan however dismissed the accusation. Chambas reportedly met with the rebel groups in Kampala to discuss their positions from the Doha process. The rebel groups demand an inclusive process to discuss a comprehensive solution for the political conflicts in the country and reject the separate negotiations in different venues. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14ooxnL2nhdPe5XJoPAvZePVzYR%3DFJtUhTeu-0S0yv35itw%40mail.gmail.com?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
