Sudan pledges to support Uganda’s candidate for African Union Commission.
June 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour Monday said his country would support Ugandan candidate for the position of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
The Sudanese top diplomat asserted Sudan’s support for the Ugandan candidate, adding “We stand by and support every common African effort as we are supporters of African solidarity and unity”.
Speciosa Kazibwe Wandira is the Ugandan Candidate for the African Union Commission Chairperson (2016-2020). Also, she has been endorsed by the Eastern African Region as their Candidate for the post.
In 2013 Wandira served as Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations for HIV/AIDS in Africa and is currently a member of the African Union Panel on the Wise, one of the critical pillars of the Peace and Security Architecture of the African Union.
Also she was Vice President of the Republic of Uganda for a total of 9 years – beginning 1994, and represented her country in regional efforts to mediate conflicts in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Sudan and Somalia.
For his part the visiting Ugandan minister said that Presidents Bashir and Museveni have a strong influence in the region must cooperate for the benefit of East Africa.
Okello reiterated the stance of the Ugandan government rejecting the indictment of President al-Bashir and recalled what Museveni said on the International Criminal Court in his speech at the inauguration ceremony.
The ICC is ‘a bunch of useless people’, said Museveni on 12 May.
The Ugandan diplomat said the turning point in the relations between the two countries was Museveni visit to Khartoum in September 2015 and Bashir visit to Kampala in May.
He further called to enhance bilateral economic relations and security cooperation to curb the activities of armed groups, adding that the two countries further coordinate their efforts in this respect.
After long years of animosity and accusations of support to rebel groups, the two are now seeking to work together to achieve regional stability and bring peace in South Sudan.
Ghandour said President al-Bashir stressed the need of coordination between the two countries in all regional and international issues of interest, especially “coordination to achieve peace and security in South Sudan and the fight against terrorism in all its forms.”
However, Ghandour rejected a recent call by two armed groups from Darfur region to involve President Museveni in the African Union-led mediation, saying that Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Abdulsalam Abubakar have done good efforts to achieve peace in Sudan.
“What is needed now is accelerating the signing of the Roadmap Agreement unconditionally,” he added.
(ST)