Zambian president here for Great Lakes Summit

 

Zambian President, Michael Sata has arrived in the country to attend the summit of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) which began over the weekend at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

 

Zambia holds the chairmanship of the ICGLR but President Sata is expected to hand over the leadership of the regional bloc to his Ugandan counterpart, President Yoweri Museveni.

 

Other presidents expected to arrive in the country for the summit were; Mwai Kibaki (Kenya), Pierre Nkurunziza m(Burundi), Joseph Kabila (DRC), François Bozizé (Central African Republic) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda). Sources have also said former Tanzanian President, Benjamin Mkapa will also attend the summit.

 

ICGLR member states are; Angola, Central Africa Republic , Burundi, Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

 

President Sata who arrived late in the afternoon with his wife, Dr Christine Kaseba-Sata, was received at State House Entebbe by his host, President Museveni and the First Lady, Janet Kataha Museveni.

 

President Sata was accorded a 21-gun salute which is fired for every head of state visiting for the first time. Sata, the former Zambian opposition leader was elected President in September defeating the incumbent, Rupiah Banda.

 

After the anthems of the two countries were played, Sata inspected a guard of honour mounted by officers and men of the UPDF. Present were ministers; Okello Oryem (Acting minister of foreign affairs) and Sam Engola (Housing).

 

Security chiefs at the ceremony included; was the deputy Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Ivan Koreta, Police Chief, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura and the commissioner of Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija.

 

The Zambian leader was accompanied by a big delegation which included Ministers; Godfrey Mwamba (Defense), Kennedy Sakeni (Home Affairs), Chishimba Kambwili (Foreign Affairs) , Fackson Shamenda (Gender) and Wilbrur Simuusa (Mines).

 

Zambian media reported on Wednesday that this is the first foreign visit Sata is making since he was elected President several months ago. He reportedly shunned international trips as a cost cutting measure to save the country's meager resources.

 

Recently when he held private talks with his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe in Southern Zambia, Sata declined to board the Presidential motorcade in preference for a family bus.

 

The Zambian leader’s dislike for extravagance has been communicated to state security agents who he has accused of over protection.

 

The two-day Summit whose theme is “United to Prevent, End Impunity and provide Assistance to Victims of Sexual Gender Based Violence” runs from today to tomorrow.  The first ladies will have a parallel meeting to discuss the theme and their output will be fed into the summit declaration.

 

The leaders will however also be expected to discuss how to eliminate negative forces like the LRA holed up in the dense forests of CAR and the interahamwe in DRC. The presidents will also deliberate on how to stop illicit trade and illegal exploitation of mineral resources which have partly been the cause of conflict.

 

The ICGLR was established in 2006 under the auspices of the United Nations and the African Union, who were deeply concerned with the endemic conflicts and insecurity in the region. With headquarters in Bujumbura, the ICGLR provides a mechanism for Peace, Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region; a region hitherto characterized by war and conflict.