Africa-Press – Uganda. Last week Sudanese rebel leader Gen. Abdel Wahid Mohamed el Nur was denied from entering Uganda with directives from the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni over his lack of willingness to pursue peaceful means with the Sudanese government to resolve grievances.
Request denied
According to Sudan Tribune quotes unnamed high-ranking government officials in South Sudan, Gen. Abdel Wahid the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement Army (SLM/SLA-IO) had requested to reside in Uganda but his request was denied with the direct involvement of President Museveni.
The mediator
A highly placed source got involved in organizing a meeting between President Museveni with Gen. Abdel Wahid but could not succeed because the President of Uganda rejected his request by not responding to it. The officer was requesting President Museveni allow Gen. Abdel Wahid to stay in Uganda for more than two weeks.
Personal gains
An unnamed top security officer in juba explained that Gen. Abdel Wahid is taking advantage of the conflicts in Darfur, especially in the Jebel Mara area for business purposes. He said Gen, Wahid is fighting for a genuine cause, and becoming a conflict entrepreneur. The officer added that Gen. Abdel Wahid is using community members and the fighting as the cover for his illicit business activities in the Jebel area, and he is now openly involved in illicit mining.
Why Uganda declined rebel leaders’ request
A diplomat at the Ugandan embassy in Juba told the local media that Uganda and the president were not ready to engage in indefinite diplomat support without a significant presence on the ground or with no clear ideologies and visions aimed at changing the system in their countries. He added that Gen. Abdel Wahid is a political leader because his approach is dogmatic. There is nothing like that in politics. Political leaders are flexible. And that they explore ways to find a solution to the problem.
Negotiations
Recently there is a window of peace being mediated by the President of the Republic of South Sudan General Salva Kiir Mayardit with the support of the region, but according to the diplomat, Gen. Abdel Wahid is not utilizing this opportunity by not making a proposal.
Gen. Abdel Wahid’s side of the story
Gen. Abdel Wahid and his Aides informed the media that they were seeking an opportunity to have a discussion with President Museveni about peace in Sudan and the region.
Sources claimed in multiple interviews with Sudan Tribune that Gen. Abdel Wahid had been in contact with the Ugandan leader who indicated in July he would permit him to Uganda from South Sudan where the lives as the guest of the President Salva Kiir to give him the opportunity to persuade him in join peace talks after he opted to remain out of the Juba peace agreement which Sudan and coalition of several rebel leaders and political groups signed in 2022 to end the conflict in Sudan.
Conflicts in Jebel Marra
In the past years, the security situation worsened in Jebel Marra of the Darfur region as the mountainous area witnessed 48 armed clashes during the past three months.
The United Nations–African Union in Darfur (UNAMID) recorded 48 incidents of armed conflict resulting in 115 fatalities, compared with 37 incidents and 34 fatalities from 1st March to 31 May 2022.
Gen. Abdel Wahid’s attacks
Despite the declared unilateral cessation of hostilities, the holdout Sudan Liberation Army (SLM-AW) of Gen. Abdel Wahid on 1st June 2020 attacked the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) checkpoint in Kutrum, Central Darfur, and killed 27 soldiers while the group lost 9 fighters.
Another armed confrontation took place in the Daya area of Central Darfur State between two factions of SLM-AW one led by Mubarak Aldouk and the other led by Saleh Borsa. This confrontation left 17 fighters dead and displaced 6,887 families.
Will the conflict be solved
It remains unclear how Gen. Abdel Wahid intends to pursue a way to end the conflict in the war-ravaged region of Darfur and more specifically in his Jebel Marra area where the war has forced local people to relocate into the mountainous areas or fled to Chad, Central Africa Republic or crossed into Libyam as refugees.
Several attempts by the state of Qatar and the African Union to broker an accord have never yielded meaningful peaceful efforts. Gen. Abdel Wahid advocates a total regime change and removal of Arabs tribes which the government in Khartoum has settled in areas historically owned or associated with his ethnic group.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
