It is senseless: Museveni, Kiir reiterate call for end to war in Sudan

The Senior Political Advisor of the Sudan Rapid Special Forces Mr. Yousif Izzat last week delivered a special message from Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the RSF to H.E the President of the Republic of Uganda Gen. (Rtd) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at Baralegi State Lodge in northern Uganda. The message from Dagalo comes at a time his forces continue to reign mayhem on the troubled country, forcing advances on key government installations. Several mediators including the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the UN, the Gulf States, the United States, the European Union and Turkey – are vying to end the war of the generals in Khartoum that broke out on 15 April.

Observers note that a ceasefire would hold only if international monitors – backed by United Nations (UN) peacekeepers – are deployed.

Several ceasefires have been decared but none has held longer than a few minutes. Bus loads of residents are reported to  continue  fleeing Khartoum and neighbouring cities across the River Nile, Bahri and Omdurman, as there has been no let-up in the fighting.

RSF fighters positioned east of the Nile, and are trying to cross a bridge to reach the Wadi Saeedna airfield, the BBC reports.

Government forces continue to fight to regain control of Khartoum and the other two cities.

Mr Museveni’s meeting with Izzat follows a recent meeting he held with Ambassador Dafallah Al-Haj Ali, the Special Envoy of the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council in Sudan who called on him at State House- Entebbe to brief him about the ongoing efforts to silence the gun for a smooth peace process in Sudan.

He told the envoy that the biggest problem for Sudan and Africa at large is emphasizing politics of identity and this is partly to blame for the pockets of instability in many parts of the continent.

Relating the conflict to Uganda, Gen Museveni said when he took power in 1986, his government emphasized politics of interests and not identity, a reason the NRM government has been able to stabilize Uganda after winning the civil war.

According to the President, politics of identity is the biggest challenge causing instability in Sudan and the existence of Hemeti’s group which he said was a mistake, citing it as an example of this problem.

He noted that since people seem to have learnt, peace should return to Sudan.

“Now it’s time to really stabilize Sudan. This war is of course another mistake,” Gen. Museveni stressed.

He also called for a ceasefire disengagement and to allow peace for people to elect their leaders as owners of the country.

“My recommendation is, the people of Sudan are there- the country does not belong to the Sudan Army, it belongs to the people. The political issues are resolved by the people themselves,” H.E Museveni said.

Gen Museveni was however happy to learn that the two worrying parties; the one led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s Army chief and head of the ruling Sovereign Council and the one led by the paramilitary RSF commander Dagalo famously known as Hemeti had initially agreed to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the national army.

“Integration is very simple if you have got the political will. It is determined by the speed at which you can train the irregular into regular,” H.E Museveni further noted, adding that when they defeated Idi Amin in 1979, it took them 3 years to create a new national Army.

The Sudan special envoy informed President Museveni that the two parties have agreed to move the fighting from the population, the civilian quarters and hospitals and now there’s a big progress from the military to end the fighting.

Ambassador Dafallah Al-Haj Ali also extended appreciation from General Abel Fattah al-Burhan and the people of Sudan to President Museveni for the efforts to ensure peace and development in their country.

“You have a special place in the minds and hearts of the Sudanese. Wherever we go both in the villages, towns and the capital, people share this feeling,” Ambassador Dafallah noted.

At least 700 people had been killed and more than 5,100 others injured.

Meanwhile, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has reiterated his commitment towards the restoration of peace and stability in Sudan. President Kiir met the newly appointed Deputy Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Malik Agar Eyre in Juba last week.

Gen al Burhan had dispatched Agar to discuss bilateral ties with President Kiir and ways to bring the conflict in Sudan to an end.

He reaffirmed support for President Kiir’s efforts in persuading the warring parties to settle their disputes through dialogue, noting that Juba remains an ideal city for Sudanese peace talks.

Agar said, “it is our duty to stop the war in Sudan and reach logical solutions through dialogue.”

Presidential Advisor on National Security Affairs Tut Gatluak Manime said President Kiir is taking all necessary steps to ensure that the conflict in Sudan come to a comprehensive end.