Ugandan former minister to meet rebel leader in southern Sudan

KAMPALA, June 06, 2004 (Sunday Vision) — Sudanese president Omar el-Bashir moved swiftly to defuse a potential diplomatic rift with Uganda, by providing his presidential jet Saturday to fly back former minister Betty Bigombe to the southern city of Juba, where she is expected to meet with LRA’s Joseph Kony.

A member of the Bigombe team told Sunday Vision, that on arriving in Khartoum Friday afternoon, Bigombe met with Sudan’s fore

ign minister Mustafa Osman Ismail. The meeting was attended, on Bigombe’s request, by the British ambassador to Khartoum William Pattey and the Norwegian ambassador.

Bigombe, currently working for the World Bank, complained of lack of cooperation from Sudanese officials despite assurances given to President Museveni by his Sudanese counterpart that Sudan would help set up a meeting with Kony.