Museveni and Sudan’s Bashir discuss trade, diplomatic relations

November 13, 2017 (KAMPALA) – Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and his Sudan counterpart, Omar al-Bashir held a meeting focusing on bilateral relations and peace and security in the region.

The two leaders, during Monday’s meeting, also discussed cooperation between the two countries and reportedly agreed to organize an investment forum to be convened in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.

Both Bashir and his Ugandan counterpart vowed to back efforts aimed at finding permanent solutions to the civil war in South Sudan.

These mechanisms, they said, will be done in line with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) roadmap.

During the meeting, Museveni reportedly congratulated President Bashir on the revocation of economic sanctions initially imposed on Sudan by the United States.

“We have held discussions on how to strengthen bilateral relations between our countries. We have held discussions and agreed to cooperate more in the fields of trade, foreign affairs and regional security. Uganda will export more tea and coffee to Sudan. A joint ministerial team will follow up to actualise this,” said Museveni.

Museveni, a critic of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said he supports Africa’s position on pulling out of the Hague-based court.

Meanwhile Presidents Museveni and Bashir also agreed to increase the trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Particularly, Uganda will increase its coffee and tea exports to the Sudan. Currently, Sudan consumes 20% of Uganda’s coffee exports.

“President Bashir has also offered to host a Uganda-Arab Investment Summit in Khartoum where Uganda will make its case as an investment destination before select investors,” partly reads a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Monday.

It added, “The two leaders have also agreed to work together to ensure regional security and stability”.

Bashir was in Uganda in May last year to attend Museveni’s fifth swearing-in ceremony. Since 2015, the two leaders have been trying to patch the on-and-off relations between the two governments.

Bashir is wanted by the Hague-based international Criminal Court (ICC) on two counts of crimes against humanity and genocide.

The court issued double warrants for him in 2009 and 2010 on two counts of crimes against humanity and genocide where more than 300,000 deaths were recorded in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Upon learning of Bashir’s visit to Uganda, several human rights groups called for the arrest of the Sudanese leader, in power since 1989.

(ST)