By Spy Uganda
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called on the Sudanese leaders to cease hostilities and allow the people to elect their leaders.
Speaking during the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) 1156th session at the level of Heads of State and Government on the situation in Sudan, Museveni told the warring parties not to think of micromanaging the country at the expense of citizens.
“Sudan does not belong to the army or the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), it belongs to the people, and therefore I call upon the immediate cessation of hostilities to allow the people to elect their leaders,” Museveni said.
The virtual meeting was chaired by President Museveni, who is also acting in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) for the month of May 2023.
He called for the resumption of a credible and inclusive political transition process that takes into account the contributory role of all Sudanese political and social actors, as well as the signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement, towards a democratic civilian-led government.
“This business of how to integrate armies is not new; we have done it in many parts of Africa, including here in Uganda; it cannot be the reason for starting such a devastating war,” he added.
The PSC strongly condemned what it calls a senseless and unjustified conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, which has resulted in an unprecedentedly dire humanitarian situation, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, and the destruction of infrastructure.
It said the conflict included the destruction of facilities of diplomatic missions, which is a gross violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, International Humanitarian Law, and International Human Rights Law.
Since the conflict erupted in Sudan on April 15, 2023, between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at least 1,000 people have been killed and more than 5,100 others have been injured, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Sudan’s Federal Health Ministry. With over 900,000 people displaced.
