Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said that the crisis in South Sudan is solvable and can be handled by the regional leaders.

In a meeting with the British Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening in the United Kingdom, the President said Uganda was worse than the current situation in Southern Sudan or Somalia. If order was restored in Uganda, the same can be done in South Sudan, he added.

He attributed the crisis in South Sudan to sectarian ideology and killing of civilians because of impunity saying the leaders are the cause of the problem in their country. President Museveni regretted that South Sudan leaders have succumbed to sectarian ideologies instead of fronting a united country.

He further explained that sectarianism is based on the failure by the leaders to understand that their tribal groups are inter-dependant on one another.

The President also defended the deployment of UPDF in South Sudan saying that this was intended to eliminate a massacre.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his former Vice President Dr Riek Machar have been at war since December last year. Tens have been killed and thousands displaced as refugees in neighbouring countries.

Both the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry have been in South Sudan calling for an end to hostilities.

The US went ahead to threaten sanctions against Machar if he refused to negotiate with Kiir warning that there will be consequences.

However the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon yesterday said the rival politicians had promised him a likely face to face meeting on Friday in Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, a renewed ceasefire is due to come into force today described as “30 days of tranquility” in an effort to re-establish an ineffective ceasefire deal that was agreed in January.

Humanitarian officials hope it will allow people to plant crops, tend to livestock or move to safer areas