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Sudan’s situation is dangerous - Museveni
President Museveni shakes hands with the leader of Sudan Transitional Military Council Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan who met him at the Mbale State Lodge on July 5, 2019. PPU PHOTO
Kampala. President Museveni has described the current fragile political situation in Sudan as “dangerous” because it is a deterrent to business.
Mr Museveni made the remarks on Friday while meeting the leader of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council, Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, on his visit to Uganda.
“The type of conflict and agitation that has been experienced in the Sudan is dangerous because it scares away business and affects the livelihood of the people,” he said after meeting the Sudan’s military leader at State Lodge in Mbale.
Gen Burhan leads a seven-member Transitional Military Council (TMC) that overthrew President Omar al- Bashir in April following mass protests against his 30-year leadership.
His visit to Uganda came after the military council and the opposition agreed on a power sharing agreement. Both sides also pledged to form an independent technocratic government and to investigate a brutal raid on a protest camp in Khartoum that killed dozens of demonstrators and wounded hundreds on June 3.
Mr Museveni said Gen Al-Burhan and his team gave him “a very good briefing on the situation in Sudan and we discussed our possible collaboration” to have restoration of peace and prosperity in the country.
“It is a cause we shall support,” Mr Museveni said. “The best way, therefore, is to agree and move in a democratic way. I am happy to hear that Sudan is moving in this direction and we wish the very best to this government in charge of the transition,” he said.
Gen al-Burhan described Museveni as “a father and wise man of Africa”. “You have a lot of experience which we would all benefit from. During our meeting, we also discussed the prosperity and common interest of our two countries,” he said.
The executive director of Advocates Coalitions for Development and Environment, who is also a peace and conflict lecturer at Makerere University, Dr Arthur Bainomugisha, described Gen al-Burhan’s visit as a move to consolidate his power.
“I have a lot of reservations on the Sudanese military council. I think they are trying to consolidate power by building support within regional leadership,” he said.
The military Council overthrew President Omar al-Bashir in April and confined him following sit-in demonstrations at the ministry of defence headquarters.
But the protests have continued with demonstrators demanding that the military council should hand over power to the civilians.
