SUDAN/UGANDA: MUSEVENI VISITS GOSS, MEETS LRA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002559

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR AF/SPG

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV UG SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN/UGANDA: MUSEVENI VISITS GOSS, MEETS LRA

Classified By: Classified by CDA Chief Eric Whitaker, Reason: Section
1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) The Governments of Sudan and Uganda have traded
accusations in the wake of Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni's one-day visit to Juba October 21. Khartoum says
Museveni had no authorization to visit Sudan, and in any case
should have first landed in the Sudanese capital. Ugandan
officials reject the charge and say their embassy in Khartoum
coordinated with the foreign ministry. The first visit by a
head of state to Juba since the inauguration of the
semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) also
marked the first-ever meeting, albeit brief and contentious,
between Museveni and representatives of the rebel Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA). Museveni expressed "deep regret" that
Southern leader John Garang "died on the border of Uganda and
in Ugandan aircraft," and said the crash is still under
investigation. Museveni also took up a public invitation to
advise the new Southern government. His message: maintain
unity, allow the private sector to take the lead in
development, build a professional
army, and maintain macroeconomic stability. End Summary.

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Museveni Meets the LRA
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2. (U) Museveni, the first head of state to visit Juba since
the inauguration of the GoSS in July 2005, held a brief,
tense meeting with the LRA delegation. Sources say there was
little dialogue, and that Museveni did almost all the
talking. An LRA spokesperson later told the media that
Museveni had been "abusive."


3. (U) In a speech at the Southern Sudan Legislative
Assembly, however, Museveni said "I salute His Excellency
Salva Kiir" for the peace talks initiative. "I salute him
and I would like to encourage him to continue." Kiir also
said the talks would continue to a "logical" conclusion
despite "some few elements trying to disturb our peace."
Prof. Hizkias Assefa, senior member of the mediation team,
told us he thought Museveni's speech was "very good" under
the circumstances. Talks reconvened briefly after Museveni
departed, in an atmosphere still tense because of the recent
upsurge in violence (septel).

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Charges and Counter-Charges
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4. (U) "Any head of state coming on Sudanese soil must first
come to Khartoum, meet the president, then meet the first
vice president (Salva Kiir)," said a Sudanese Government
spokesman on state radio. "Sudan is still one country," the
statement continued. Southern Sudan was "acting like they
are already a country."


5. (U) Nonsense replied the Ugandans. According to Ugandan
press reports and Ugandan officials in Juba, Khartoum was
informed of the visit in advance. Ugandan officials stress
that Museveni's trip had been scheduled ahead of time, and
called it a "working visit" intended to review GoSS-mediated
peace talks between the GOU and the LRA. ConGen staff knew
of the visit at least a week before, and a report of the
planned visit appeared in the media before Museveni arrived.
Sudan Information Minister Samson Kwaje told a Ugandan
reporter that Kiir "duly informed President Omar Bashir about
the visit and got a blessing."


6. (C) Whatever consultations transpired among Khartoum,
Kampala, and Juba ahead of the visit, it sparked controversy
even before the Ugandan president landed. Sudan People's
Liberation Army (SPLA) Major General Thomas Cirilo, Deputy
Commander of the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) for all of
Sudan, told ConGen that Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) components
of JIUs in Juba withdrew from arrangements to welcome
Museveni at the airport.


7. (U) In remarks on October 22, at the church he regularly
attends, GoSS President Salva Kiir reportedly criticized the
people of Juba for failing to give Museveni an enthusiastic
welcome. Security was extraordinarily tight for the visit,
with both the airport and major roads in Juba closed for most
of the day. The Museveni entourage included three helicopter
gunships. Museveni himself chose to travel by helicopter.
Museveni's plane, also dispatched to Juba, arrived nearly
empty.


8. (U) This was not the first time a Museveni visit to
Southern Sudan sparked controversy. In August 2005, he
traveled overland from Uganda in a large military convoy to

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attend a memorial service for John Garang in Yei. In that
instance, too, the national government in Khartoum complained
that they had not received adequate notice of, and had not
approved, Museveni's plans.

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Garang Crash
--------------


9. (U) The Garang helicopter crash was also on Museveni's
mind during his visit to Juba. In a speech to the Southern
Sudan Legislative Assembly, Museveni expressed formal
condolences and "deep regret" that Garang had died "on the
border of Uganda" and in a Ugandan presidential helicopter.
"It is terrible for us to take that responsibility," Museveni
said somberly. The crash investigation, he claimed, revealed
that there was "nothing wrong with the aircraft." Uganda and
the GoSS were therefore "still trying to find out what else
was the problem." Garang had flown on Ugandan military
aircraft "many times," he pointed out. (Note: A joint
Uganda-Sudanese investigation of the crash, chaired by a
senior investigator from the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB),found significant shortcomings in the operation
of Museveni's helicopter fleet, and concluded that a
combination of bad weather, impending darkness, and pilot
error caused the crash. End note.)

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Advice for a New Government
--------------


10. (U) Museveni congratulated Kiir for keeping the SPLA
together in the wake of Garang's death and also commended "my
friend" General Bashir for overcoming the "Arab chauvinist
ideas" of the people in the North and negotiating the January
2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Museveni urged
southerners to maintain a strong defense to protect the gains
of the CPA. He saluted both Kiir and GoSS Vice President
Riek Machar for persevering in ongoing peace talks with the
LRA (septel) and said the problem of the LRA represented a
"confluence" of the problems of Uganda and the problems of
Sudan. Khartoum had used the LRA to keep the "black people"
of the region separated, Museveni said, but this strategy was
no longer working.


11. (U) When the speaker of the Assembly, James Wani Igga,
invited Museveni to share the lessons of state-building
gleaned over the 20 years of his rule, the Ugandan president
was ready with well-received advice. First, he cautioned,
the South should remain unified. Then, it must focus on
economic recovery. "The most reliable agent of recovery is
the private sector," Museveni said. "If you attract the
private sector they will do the work for you." Third, he
urged the South to "build a professional army." Finally, he
advised the South to achieve "macroeconomic stabilization."
Inflation in Uganda had remained in the single digits for
many years, he pointed out. Southern Sudan should do the
same, and should not "spend money it does not have."
POWERS