Uganda president, Darfur rebels discuss peace process

The Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, met with the heads of the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Arko Minawi and the Justice and Equality Movement led by Jibril Ibrahim, to searched for ways to activate their support of the peace process in Sudan.

On Monday, Ibrahim and Minawi said in a joint statement after the informal meeting in Kampala on Saturday that the key to activate the peace process and achieve a comprehensive political settlement is to stick to the African Union roadmap agreement.

The document was signed by the Sudanese government and the forces of the Sudan Appeal in August 2015, brokered by the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), providing to sign a humanitarian truce and hold a preparatory meeting before joining the internal dialogue process. But the negotiations failed later that month because of disagreements regarding cessation of hostilities and the humanitarian assistance in rebel-hold areas.

The joint statement also said that the two leaders of the armed movements informed Museveni about the difficulty for them to sit with the government and discuss the arrest of opposition party leaders, activists and civil society organisations staff. “They are arrested simply for opposing the recent economic measures.”

Detentions and reactions by authorities were reported from across Sudan on Monday and Tuesday in reaction to the one-day civil disobedience general strike which received significant support on Monday.