Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. On 27 December this year, the president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni met with Sudan’s rebel leader, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo popularly known as Hemetti, and held talks in Uganda. The meeting took place at Museveni’s country home in Rwakitura where they discussed strategies for ending Sudan’s long-running conflict. The development comes as Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia continues to capture new territories from government forces.
Sudanese conflict
The current conflict in Sudan started on April 15 this year, due to a struggle for power between army chief Gen Abdel Fatah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo alias Hemedti. In 2019. General al-Burhan rose to power in the tumultuous aftermath of the military-led coup that ousted former President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. In the same year, Sudanese civilians and the military signed a power-sharing agreement, General Burhan was elected the chairman of the sovereignty council, and a body was given the responsibility of overseeing the country’s transition to democratic rule.
Falling apart
However General al-Burhan failed to execute his task, as the date for the handover of power to civilians got closer in late 2021, he seemed reluctant to hand over power. In December 2022, the military, represented by General al-Burhan, and a coalition of civilian pro-democracy groups, signed a preliminary agreement brokered by members of the international community to end the political standoff. However, some civilians and General al-Burhan’s main rival, Lt. Gen. Muhammed Hamdan, a powerful paramilitary group did not buy the agreement and they decided to continue with the protest.
Conflict impact
Since the fighting started, more than 10,000 people have been killed and 6,000 to 12,000 others injured in the unrest. As of 23 December 2023, over 5 million were internally displaced and more than 1.5 million others had fled the country as refugees. Many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the 2023 Masalit massacres. On December 21, the United Nations said the latest surge in fighting in Sudan had displaced up to 300,000 people as conflict spread to the country’s second-largest city, Wad Madani.
Message of hope
After the meeting Gen Dagalo released a statement disclosing his meeting with President Museveni, saying they discussed recent developments in Sudan and the resulting suffering of the Sudanese people. Gen Dagalo said that he presented his vision to negotiate, stop the war, and build a new Sudan. He also stressed his commitment to the outcomes of the extraordinary meeting of Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) heads of state and government held in Djibouti on December 9, 2023. Sources close to the meeting said that Hemetti requested that the direct meeting be attended by IGAD leaders. Initially, the meeting was supposed to be attended by only the President of Djibouti and the Chair of IGAD. Dagalo assured that he would continue to implement what he committed to end the war, alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, and restore security and stability to the country. The planned face-to-face meeting, which was supposed to occur in Djibouti on December 28th, has been postponed to January, but the exact date remains undisclosed.
Uganda’s input
President Museveni released a short post on X confirming the meeting between him and Hemetti. And that Gagalo briefed him on the current situation in Sudan. According to Dagalo, President Museveni affirmed his full support for Sudanese and worked to advance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the neighbouring country. Dagalo added that Musevin’s, intervention indicates that he will harness all his capabilities and relationships to help the Sudanese overcome this difficult stage in their history.
Effect of the war on Uganda
As the fighting in Sudan is exacerbating, Uganda being a neighbouring country to Sudan is facing a problem of taking in a large number of refugees fleeing the conflicts. The fighting in Sudan is also affecting trade between the two nations. Uganda exports commodities of over Shs 345 billion to Sudan. Uganda mainly exports tea and coffee to Sudan.
Pending meeting
Gen Dagalo while in Uganda revealed that he had received a letter from former Sudan Prime Minister Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, who doubles as the leader of the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (CCDF), “inviting the concerned parties to an urgent meeting to discuss strategies to end this war and address its impacts. Adding that with a sense of urgency and responsibility, he embraces the prospect of holding this critical meeting as soon as possible. He noted that they will immediately begin to discuss the meeting arrangements. And welcome all national initiatives aimed at fostering peace and reducing the hardships resulting from this war. Attempts by other nations and international organizations to negotiate peace had largely been dormant since the failure of the Treaty of Jeddah but in late October the RSF and SAF met once more in Jeddah to attempt to negotiate peace. This new round of talks was a failure, with neither side willing to commit to a ceasefire.
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