Ugandan leader urges quick polls to end S. Sudan violence

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday urged his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir to expeditiously organize elections to end the seemingly unending political turmoil in the war-torn country.

Museveni, who jetted into the country and held discussions with Kiir in Juba, told journalists that South Sudan badly needed elections to regain its sovereignty that has been compromised by more than three years of violent fighting.

"I would appeal to the transitional government headed by the president and all other stakeholders to stop all actions involving the insecurity so that the people focus on the elections as soon as possible," he said.

Before fighting broke out in December, 2013, the major political players in the country were bickering over reforms before scheduled elections in 2015 were dashed by violence.

According to the peace agreement signed August last year to end conflict between President Kiir and his ousted ex-deputy Riek Machar, elections are to be held in 2018 after full implementation of the peace pact.

"All fighting should stop so that the people of South Sudan regain their power, because now they don't have the power. The power is with people with guns," Museveni said.

"Any other issues that need to be handled to have elections should be handled and that's my prayer to people of South Sudan," he disclosed.

Last week, President Kiir called for national dialogue excluding Machar in the shaky transitional unity government. Endit