Kiir, Museveni discuss South Sudan peace implementation

April 4, 2019 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Thursday briefed his Ugandan counterpart and peace guarantor on the implementation of the revitalized agreement signed in September 2018.

Kiir made a working visit to Kampala where he was welcomed by the Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa before to be received by President Museveni at the State House in Entebbe.

Kiir "briefed me on the progress of implementation of the South Sudan peace agreement. Despite a few challenges, there is progress. I urge all parties to work towards peace and stability," said Museveni in a post on Twitter after the meeting.

For his party, the South Sudanese Foreign Minister Nhial Deng Nhial confirmed that the two leaders discussed the implementation of the peace agreement.

Also, they discussed "reunification of the SPLM and some developmental projects which includes installation of electricity from Karuma to Nimule and then to Juba," Nhial said.

The two countries will begin road construction at the border of Uganda and South Sudan (Kaya), he added.

The slow implementation of the pre-transitional period arrangements peace agreement has recently impacted the good mood that prevailed between the two main partners of the peace agreement.

While President Kiir wants to establish the transitional government despite the failure to form a unified army during the past months as provided in the peace agreement, SPLM-IO leader calls to delay it until the set-up of a national army or at least its nucleus under the leadership of President Kiir.

On Sunday 31 March, South Sudan’s Presidential Advisor Tut Galwak conveyed a message from President Kiir Mayardit to President Omer al-Bashir on the implementation of the peace agreement and bilateral relations.

Al-Bashir and Museveni are seen as the two main actors who succeeded to resolve the outstanding issues during the negotiations for peace in South Sudan.

(ST)