POLITICS | MUSEVENI | SUDAN

KAMPALA - President Yoweri Museveni has tipped the Sudan Transitional Council to have the correct ideology and accountability to the people they are leading in order to ensure lasting peace. 

Museveni held a meeting on Friday with Lt Gen Eng. Ibrahim Gabir member of Sudan’s Transitional council. 

Ibrahim is also a Special Envoy from Lt. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, President of the Sovereign Transitional Council of Sudan. 

Gabir extended an invitation of Lt. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, President of the Sovereign Transitional Council of the Republic of Sudan to Museveni for a State visit. 

The meeting took place at State House, Nakasero. 

Museveni noted that in the last 60 years of being active in leadership, he has observed that pushing forward identity politics while forgetting the interests of the people is the root cause of instability in many of the African countries, Sudan inclusive. 

“Identity is important, but it should not be promoted at the expense of the common interests of the people. I opined that the Council should avoid the pseudo ideology of sectarianism of tribes and identity, as it is detrimental to the people's well-being,” Museveni said. 

He explained Uganda was rescued from the politics of Identity in 1965 by a student movement that taught people to forget about identity politics forgetting the common needs of the people like hunger, peace, education, health and accountability of government. 

The president stressed that if leaders follow the politics of identity they are an enemy of the country, they misdiagnose the state problem and the result is division the citizens. 

The President said the NRM has achieved unity and despite some weaknesses it is able to win elections with over 50% in the first round. 

Ibrahim assured Museveni that the council has maintained relative peace in the country by among other things implementing the “Juba Agreement for Peace in Sudan” signed in October 2020, by Sudan’s Transitional Government and representatives of several armed groups. 

The agreement aims to achieve stability and peace in Sudan after decades of multiple civil conflicts, which have killed thousands and displaced millions. 

Gabir, however, expressed worry about a section of the population, including a big number of youths below the age of 40 who do not know much about politics, some wanting to take power even before peaceful elections. 

“Some people want to exert pressure through demonstrations and come to power without any elections,” Ibrahim remarked.. He added that the transitional council will do its best to provide leadership the country until peaceful elections are held.

Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led a coup in October 2021 that removed the country’s transitional government, appointed a new governing Sovereign Council, with representatives of the main bloc demanding a transfer to civilian rule. 

The new 14-member council includes army commanders, former rebel leaders and new civilian members. 

The sovereign council was formed in 2019 as part of a power-sharing agreement between members of the army and civilians with the task of overseeing Sudan’s transition to democracy after a popular uprising led to the removal of longtime ruler President Omar Bashir. 

Analyst considers racism to be at the root of conflicts in Sudan. Since seizing power on October 25 last year, Sudan’s military leaders have expressed their commitment to holding “free and fair” national elections by July 2023. The elections will be the country’s first since the ousting of Omar Bashir. 

The meeting was attended by others; Ambassador Daffalla Al-Haj Ali, the Under Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan, Gen. Issam Mohamed Hassan Karrar, the secretary General Ministry of Défense and staff from the Sudanese Embassy. 

The Ugandan was led by Ambassador Arthur Kafeero who is the Director of Regional and International Political Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.