Sudan 1st VP visits Uganda for talks on ICC indictment of Bashir and troops presence
July 21, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese First Vice President Salva Kiir will fly to Kampala for a meeting with Ugandan president Yoweri Musevini.
The meeting is expected to tackle the recent decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to seek an arrest warrant for Sudan president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir.
The two sides will also discuss the presence of Ugandan troops in South Sudan following recent statements by Kiir’s deputy Riek Machar in which he ordered withdrawal of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) from Southern Sudan territory.
But Machar’s boss speaking to the daily Al-Rayaam said that he gave no such orders. UPDF is in South Sudan to pursue Lord Resistance Army (LRA) fighters.
The Ugandan Daily Monitor said that Kiir wants Musevini to lend support to Al-Bashir in front of ICC indictment. They also quoted diplomatic sources as saying that Kiir will travel to Tanzania for talks with President Jakaya Kikwete, the current chairman of the Africa Union (AU).
The African Union (AU) today asked the UNSC to invoke article 16 of Rome Statue and suspend any indictment of Sudan’s head of state.
Kiir who is also the president of South Sudan is heading a committee formed by Al-Bashir to deal with the ICC crisis. He had criticized the accusations by ICC Prosecutor against the Sudanese President saying it endangers peace process and the affect democratic transition in the country.
(ST)
YihHon Alewei
Sudan 1st VP visits Uganda for talks on ICC indictment of Bashir and troops presence
South Sudanese have nothing to do with bashir indictment!
In my opinion, South Sudanese have nothing to do with the bashir indictment! When you act like ‘a cowboy’ in the first place, you would know that there are consequences awaiting in the future. There is nothing that is going to derail the CPA in this regard! It wasn’t the South Sudan government who went to Hague to convene bashir for his crimes that he has committed in Darfur. The ICC has its own agencies that work for it. Those agencies have witnessed the atrocities that have been committed in Eastern Sudan, South Sudan and now Darfur. All the above mentioned issues are accounted on bashir and his rogue regime in Khartuom.
The first Vice and the President of South Sudan needs to be clear about this. bashir is a very clever guy, he wants to use Kiir to damage the reputation of South Sudan in the world stage. Forming a commission which is going to oversees the ICC indictment headed by Lt. Gen.Kiir is something bumper for South Sudan leader to do. It is something which is already out of hand. Nothing will prevent bashir indictment unless he respect the human rights in Darfur and hand over the two suspects of war crimes to the ICC.
On the other side of the Ugandan troops presence in South Sudan. It is unusual for a South Sudan govenment to allow foreign forces to stay in its soil. There are two things here which are not properly define. The hunting of LRA and the peace negotiation going on in Juba for a year or so now! If South Sudan government is committed to bring peace in Northern Ugandan, why is it on the other side of the coin allowed Ugandan troops to hunt LRA inside the South Sudan while they are in a peace process.
This is a very big mistake ever made, you can’t mediate the peace and allow the war to go on at the othe end. South Sudan government should have a very firm strategy regarding the Ugandan peace. GOSS is committed to bring peace to Northern Ugandan than they should be in one side, either with the Ugandan government or with LRA.
With the issue of bashir indictment, South Sudan have nothing to do it. Whatever goes around comes around, bashir deserve it. Let the justice takes its course, nobody is above the law.
Moses Kur Akech
Sudan 1st VP visits Uganda for talks on ICC indictment of Bashir and troops presence
Kiir should not focus on ICC than focusing on pending issues that matter to his citizens. Undoubtedly, there is substantial evidence that Bashir has orchestrated the killings of Darfurians.
This is quite immoral to spend public money on lobbying for impunity against Bashir. I think Kiir is being deprived to cover up the truth because of political anxiety. This ideological notion of covering up the truth does not and will never yield any transparent justice in our country. If Kiir fears retaliatory repercussions from dictatorial regime should he reveal the reality that had unequivocally happened to Darfurians, he should have used his powers to designate another politician to head the team in order to meet the principle of compliance. I can see Kiir does not firmly stand up as leader of political party to criticise the government which is not doing enough to uplift the living standard of its citizens rather spending millions of dollars on military sector. None of the politicians has ever chided the regime on these moves since Pagan’s unsupportive fight was unilaterally vanquished by Bashir’s regime a few weeks ago. I was impressed last when Kiir urged the government to cooperate with ICC to handing over the already two suspects and to develop a road map for peace process in Darfur with in a week. If he believes that those suspects have committed war crime then Bashir is the mastermind and he is. Kiir better focus on Abiei issue, healthcare and the overall slow development in the region than wasting time lobbying to deter the indictment of this tyrant. Bashir is widely known to have authorised the bombardments of its civilian population in the South and in the West.
Ajuong Ayany De puorgook
Sudan 1st VP visits Uganda for talks on ICC indictment of Bashir and troops presence
Please my dear president ,do not waste your time convincing the world about Bashir,let him carry his cross.He deserve the punishment.come back home now!
Yaak Barach
Sudan 1st VP visits Uganda for talks on ICC indictment of Bashir and troops presence
I don’t understand why the SPLM/A veteran leader (Salva Kiir) is so concerned about the indictment of this tyrant president (Omar al Bashiir) by the world court. If it’s about CPA, Kiir should make it clear to the NCP/NIF or any other northern political that seeks power that CPA implementation is the only way out.
Bearing in mind that NCP/NIF didn’t sign the CPA with the ICC, so what is the connection between it’s implementation and the ICC charges against Bashiir? He is a war criminal and his time is up like his Iraqi’s brother saddam hussein.
Please Mr.Hero Salva Kiir stop this nonsense of trying to bail this terrorist out. Concentrate on southern issues and strategies that SPLM/A will employs in case of a collapse of a Bashiir’s brutal and uncooperative regime.
I don’t know if anyone has noticed the absence of criticism of the ICC decision by the northern political parties.
Samuel Kuyee
Sudan 1st VP visits Uganda for talks on ICC indictment of Bashir and troops presence
Why always blaming the VP when he share the political issue with NCP? Don’t forget that Kiir is a Vice President of Republic of Sudan; and he can do the favore of the whole nation as part of presidential work, do we want VP Kiir always oppose everything it cannot be let us understand the politic!
Let Kiir do the work of whole nation for these remain three years whether it’s wrong or right.
Brooke Obe
Sudan 1st VP visits Uganda for talks on ICC indictment of Bashir and troops presence
Goss leaders appear not to read from the same script. Or is Kiir trying to set up Machar against the Ugandans? The UPDF are not known for their discipline. One can remember their foray in Congo, attitude to Rwanda etc. In Kenya they have been accused of fueling cattle-rustling. GOSS should be careful and emulate Kagame who asserted his country’s independence from Uganda. If GOSS does not heed the advice, it might regret later.