Ugandan president, UN chief call for no more fighting in South Sudan

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday pushed a strong message for no new fighting between the two rival army factions in South Sudan.

In a state house statement issued here, Museveni and Ban said despite receiving unconditional support regionally and internationally, President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar have squandered the good will that was so generously given at the birth of the new nation.

Museveni proposed three issues that need to be immediately handled during the transitional period, which includes a regional protection force, for Machar who does not trust South Sudan army, SPLA for his protection, no new fighting in Juba and working towards elections and democracy as soon as possible.

"Deal with them carefully and work towards peace and elections. Votes will force them into alliances. Democracy will force them to work together. Now they know they are not accountable to the people," said Museveni on the sidelines of the ongoing African Union (AU) Heads of States summit in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

Museveni's recommendations follow Ban's proposals to the UN Security Council to send a strong message to the warring factions in South Sudan including: imposing an arms embargo, sanctions on the people responsible for the violence and fortifying and strengthening the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Ban said the violation of the ceasefire agreement by the two rival leaders makes the UN position very difficult and called on President Museveni, who is the guarantor of South Sudan peace process alongside the AU and Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to send out a clear unified message of no more fighting.

However, Museveni disagreed with the proposal to impose an arms embargo, saying this would create a vacuum and plunge the newest nation in the world in further chaos like was the case in Somalia.

"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," said Museveni.

Museveni said with a well-grounded and facilitated timetable, there is the need for integration of forces, a fund for resettlement and rehabilitation of demobilized militias and soldiers.

Museveni and Ban's meeting follows the recent fighting between government and anti-government forces in Juba.

The clashes left some 272 military officers, including 33 civilians dead, according to the South Sudan Health Ministry. Endit