Bashir Stops Kony Support

By Felix Osike And Kezio Musoke SUDANESE President Omar el Bashir yesterday announced total withdrawal of his government’s support to Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. Bashir, who is attending the Global 2001SMART Partnership trade talks at the Speke Resort Beach, Munyonyo, told journalists that Kony had re-located to areas not controlled by the government. “We have no access and control over Joseph Kony. He is now outside the territory which used to be controlled by the government. Because we have stopped assistance to him, Kony has now started conducting operations against our government,” said Bashir. He was flanked by Sirajuddin. H.Y. Muhammed, the charge d'áffairs in Kampala who also acted as his translator. Uganda severed diplomatic ties with Sudan in 1995 after accusing her of sponsoring terrorist groups fighting the Uganda government. Bashir said, “Uganda and Sudan governments have reached an agreement regarding LRA presence in Sudan. LRA no longer exists in the form it used to be. We are proceeding towards a new era based on the fact that Sudan is not supporting any opposition group in the region.” He admitted that his government supported Kony in retaliation for Uganda’s alleged support to the southern Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). “On the previous relationship, we used to support the LRA. We used to provide them with logistics, ammunition and everything. That was a response to support Uganda used to give to SPLA. But now the situation is different because both parties are committed to peace,” Bashir said. He called upon the Ugandan Government and NGO’s to reciprocate by stopping any kind of assistance to SPLA. He said since the signing of the 1999 Nairobi peace agreement with Museveni, Kony’s operations had been unsuccessful. The Nairobi agreement entailed cessation of assistance for each other’s rebel groups, exchanges of diplomats and the return of children abducted by the LRA from northern Uganda. Bashir said his government had repatriated 300 abductees with the help of Unicef, the UN chidren’s agency. The two countries recently agreed to restore diplomatic relations at the level of charge d’áffairs while preparations for the restoration of full diplomatic relations are being worked out. Bashir denied supporting the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels who have been operating from the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda. “They are situated far away from the Sudanese borders. We don’t have any direct contact with them. We don’t have any information on them. We don’t even know whether they exist or not. They used to get support from the late Mobutu.” He said the allegation that Sudan supports ADF was based on a religious belief. Bashir said after talks with Museveni they had agreed that Sudan Airways resumes flights between Entebbe and Khartoum. He said Museveni had agreed to visit Khartoum this year. He said his government was waiting for Uganda to send envoys to re-open her embassy in Khartoum. Ends