Museveni , Salva Kiir agree on Ugandan army Withdrawal
Nov 3, 2006 (KAMPALA) — President Yoweri Museveni and the Sudanese First Vice President , Salva Kiir, have agreed to the withdrawal of UPDF forces east of Juba-Nimule Road, the Ugandan Daily Monitor reported.
The withdrawal of forces from Palotaka and Tibika bases in eastern Equatoria is a pre-condition the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army set before their fighters reassemble at Owiny-Ki-Bul, one of two designated assembly points in South Sudan.
The first discussion for a possible UPDF — Uganda People’s Defence Forces — disengagement from the said areas was during Museveni’s visit to Juba on 21 October , when he met Kiir and Dr Riek Machar, the mediator and South Sudan vice-president.
It was an agreement on an executive level to facilitate the peace talks,” said an official in the Government of South Sudan (GoSS). Though this development had a direct bearing on Wednesday’s signing of an extension to the 26 August truce, all parties, at the request of the mediator, agreed to leave it out of the agreement text.
Palotaka has been UPDF’s major base since March 2002 when Khartoum and Kampala entered an agreement allowing the UPDF to hunt the LRA in South Sudan. Tibika houses the UPDF communication centre in South Sudan.
UPDF’s mandate to fight in South Sudan expired on 30 April and its renewal is shrouded in confusion.
South Sudan’s Security Minister Daniel Awet told this reporter earlier in September, that Khartoum declined to renew UPDF’s mandate sending Kampala to GoSS. But GoSS according to Awet could not renew the mandate because it was mediating peace talks between the two parties that have fought for the last 20 years.
LRA Spokesman Godfrey Ayo said the LRA fighters currently in Jabilen and Nisitu will only return to Owiny-Ki-Bul if the UPDF withdraws.
“It is not lost on any of the two delegations that the GoSS and the Uganda government agreed to withdraw UPDF forces from Tibika and Palotaka and our forces will only return to Owiny-Ki-bul,” Ayo said.
“If the UPDF does not withdraw, that will constitute a violation because our forces cannot move.”
The Uganda government delegation spokesman, Capt Paddy Ankunda, said he could not comment on executive discussions but warned that the LRA should not peg their assembling to the said redeployment.
“The two delegations never discussed that demand. GoSS has assured the LRA of security at assembly areas and there is no point therefore pegging the LRA assembling at Owiny-Ki-Bul to these withdraws. It’s just another excuse in the making,” he said.
Ankunda said the Uganda delegation led by Interior Minister Ruhakana Rugunda would not hold further discussions if the rebels do not assemble.
As both delegations reconvened yesterday at Juba Raha Hotel, there was a general feeling that they both take a two-week recess to monitor the progress of the new Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed on Wednesday this week.
If they do not break for the recess, they will continue discussions on agenda item number two, Comprehensive Solutions, in which the LRA is still pushing for a federalist solution, a new national army, a ministry for rehabilitation of the north.
(Daily Monitor)