Museveni ends visit to South Sudan

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN | Xinhua | Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ended a two-day visit to South Sudan on Friday aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and de-escalating political tensions in South Sudan.

Museveni, who arrived in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Thursday, held talks with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir to address the current political and security development in the country and the entire region, the presidency said in a statement released in Juba on Friday.

The presidency said that during the visit, Museveni engaged with various political parties, including representatives from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), to help enhance political unity.

“This meeting aimed to promote dialogue and cooperation among South Sudanese factions, which is essential for the country’s ongoing journey toward stability,” said the statement.

It said the Ugandan leader, credited for brokering South Sudan’s 2018 peace deal that ended a civil war and formed the current unity government, convened with signatories of the peace agreement to evaluate the current status of its implementation.

Museveni, in a post on the social media platform X, said he had good discussions with Kiir. “We addressed key issues of peace, security, and the socio-economic landscape, particularly how to harmonize our trade policies and enhance cross-border trade between our two countries,” Museveni said.

South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ramadan Mohammed Abdallah Goc described the visit as “successful,” highlighting the positive outcomes of the discussions.

The visit came amid rising political tension across South Sudan after First Vice President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest, which sparked violence in some parts of the country.

Sources said Museveni’s visit aimed at shoring up the ongoing mediation efforts by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East Africa bloc, to help de-escalate political tensions in South Sudan.

Museveni’s visit followed a mission by Raila Odinga, Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan, who held talks with Kiir in Juba last week. ■