Sudan Cautiously Welcomes Uganda Restriction on Terrorist groups
(KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government has responded cautiously to a report carried by state media on Monday which claimed Uganda had banned anti-Khartoum rebels from meeting on its territory again.
Sudan’s official news agency SUNA quoted an informed source at the Ugandan external security apparatus as saying that rebel leaders were notified of the decision during a secret meeting.
Minni Minnawi and Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur, the leaders of two separate factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement – the SLM-MM and SLM-AW respectively, as well as Ayoub Mohamed of Darfur People’s Unity Movement were reportedly present at the meeting.
Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Abu-Bakr Al-Siddig Mohammed Al-Amin, expressed hope that the report is true, adding that Kampala has an obligation to refrain from backing rebel movements.
Al-Amin said that Uganda’s current chairmanship of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and its membership in the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), as well as other international blocs, requires not only the banning of rebel groups from holding meetings but also denying them existence within Ugandan territory.
In 2011, the ICGR designated the Darfur rebel groups Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) as negative forces that should be combated.
The Sudanese diplomat stressed that rebel meetings are held only to plan and prepare for acts of sabotage, aggression and targeting of civilians, noting the recent attacks by the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) on areas in North and South Kordofan states.
“There is no objection on our part to establishing good and normal relations with Uganda. We have the desire and the will to do so and the Ugandan move [to ban rebel groups] serves in the same direction”, he said.
Sudan’s official news agency SUNA quoted an informed source at the Ugandan external security apparatus as saying that rebel leaders were notified of the decision during a secret meeting.
Minni Minnawi and Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur, the leaders of two separate factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement – the SLM-MM and SLM-AW respectively, as well as Ayoub Mohamed of Darfur People’s Unity Movement were reportedly present at the meeting.
Sudanese foreign ministry spokesperson Abu-Bakr Al-Siddig Mohammed Al-Amin, expressed hope that the report is true, adding that Kampala has an obligation to refrain from backing rebel movements.
Al-Amin said that Uganda’s current chairmanship of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and its membership in the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), as well as other international blocs, requires not only the banning of rebel groups from holding meetings but also denying them existence within Ugandan territory.
In 2011, the ICGR designated the Darfur rebel groups Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) as negative forces that should be combated.
The Sudanese diplomat stressed that rebel meetings are held only to plan and prepare for acts of sabotage, aggression and targeting of civilians, noting the recent attacks by the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) on areas in North and South Kordofan states.
“There is no objection on our part to establishing good and normal relations with Uganda. We have the desire and the will to do so and the Ugandan move [to ban rebel groups] serves in the same direction”, he said.
By ST, 1 day 12 hours ago
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