President Yoweri Museveni disagrees with the proposal to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, saying this will create a vacuum and plunge the newest nation into further chaos.
His statements follow one recent Thursday meeting of the Secretary-General of the United Nations with the leaders of Rwanda and Ethiopia, where he recommended an arms embargo on South Sudan and targeted sanctions.
Targeted sanctions would seize the foreign assets and block foreign travel of South Sudanese leaders deemed responsible for violence.
“I don’t agree with the proposal on the arms embargo. What is happening in South Sudan is sectarian politics where one partisan community is fighting the other. When you impose an embargo on South Sudan you destroy the local force on which you need to build a strong integrated army,” he said during a meeting at the sidelines of the AU summit in Kigali at the Serena Kigali Hotel.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said the violation of the ceasefire agreement by the two leaders in South Sudan makes the UN position very difficult and called on President Museveni as the guarantor of the peace process along side the AU and IGAD to send out a clear unified message to South Sudan.
President Museveni said with a well-grounded and facilitated timetable, there is a need for the of integration of forces and a fund for resettlement and rehabilitation of demobilized militias and soldiers.
He further stated that should the country maintain a situation of no democracy, this will be disempowering the people.
“If they must have elections, they will be forced to find alliances and democracy will force them to work together. Without democracy, they will be forced to look for external forces,”
cnakalungi@ugchristiannews.com
