KAMPALA, Uganda, South Sudan Rebel leader Riek Machar failed to return to the capital for a second straight day Tuesday, saying the government did not provide flight clearance for a plane carrying his top general is top on the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) summit addenda. According to Mr. James Mugume, Permanent Secretary, Uganda Ministry of Foreign Affairs Machar no return Juba, South Sudan capital is a concern to the region.
Rebel leader Riek Machar, recently appointed President Salve Kiir as his vice failed to return to the capital for a second straight day Tuesday, saying the government did not provide flight clearance for a plane carrying his top general.
“Uganda has played a big role in South Sudan and this is an issue heads of states are going to discuss. We would have wished that Riek Machar returns to Juba and I hope our heads of states convince him after deliberations,” Uganda Ministry of Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Mr. James Mugume said yesterday.
Rebel spokesman William Ezekiel told VOA no date has been set for when Machar will arrive in Juba to be sworn in as vice president, per terms of a peace deal signed last August to end 2½ years of civil war.
Government spokesman Michael Makuei told reporters that the rebel general, Simon Gatwech, was trying to bring more than 200 extra soldiers with him, beyond the agreed number of rebel troops allowed in Juba.
Makuei also accused the rebels of trying to bring anti-tank rounds and laser-guided missiles.
Rebel spokesman Ezekiel said Gatwech is only bringing 45 troops, in line with agreements, and said they have no such heavy weaponry.
The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that the fighting and ongoing food shortages have now displaced more than 2.3 million South Sudanese, including more than 670,000 who have fled to neighboring countries.
Mugume also said a memorandum of understanding on data access across is expected to signed by the NCIP four countries (Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and South Sudan) is also expected to be signed.
This will enable internet uses to enjoy a reduced data cost across the partner states, Mugume noted.
Northern Corridor Uganda, coordinator ambassador Emmanuel Hatega said the summit will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on April 21st and a senior officials’ meeting on April 19-20, 2016.
“The countries that will participate are Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. Private sector representatives from Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda will also participate,” he said.
The forthcoming meetings will also review the status of implementation of NCIP projects that were discussed at the last summit in Kigali in December 2015, Hatega noted. Adding,”The projects cover areas of infrastructure, energy, information technology and socio-economic development.”
The Northern Corridor is a transport link that connects the East African Community (EAC) landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan with the port of Mombasa, Kenya. It also serves Northern Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia. The NCIP has become a successful initiative mainly by reducing the cost of doing business within the region, thus making it competitive at the global level.
Source: East African Vanguard

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