6 NEW VISION, Wednesday, August 23, 2017
IGAD boss applauds Uganda on South Sudan
Ambassador Mahboub Maalim is a Somali diplomat from Kenya. He is
also the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD). He is in Kampala on a four-day working visit.
In an interview with David Lumu, he calls on South Sudan President
Salva Kiir to embrace President Yoweri Musevenis initiative to
reconcile the ruling Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement
(SPLA/M) party with its splinter factions, urges River Nilesharing
countries to use restraint rather than bullying, to settle their
differences, praises the Uganda peoples Defence Forces (UPDF)
blood sacrifice in exchange for peace and security and advises
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga to shed the radical image in
favour of peace and stability of Kenya and the region.
Q
: The question of the
South Sudan conflict is
at the centre of debate in
the region, especially the rising
number of refugees entering
Uganda. If you met President
Salva Kiir in the Sahara desert,
what tangible solutions would
you give him and his detractors
to ensure that the guns go
silent?
A
: First of all, I am an employee
of President Kiir, among other
presidents. So, to ask me what
I can tell him, is like asking your
house helper to tell you to change
something in your house. But this
is on a light note. President Kiir has
been told a lot by his compatriots,
heads of state from the region and
African Union (AU), and those in
the international community circles.
People know that the South Sudanese
do not have to continue dying after
having achieved what they fought for.
The situation in South Sudan is very
unfortunate, and like you have said,
IGAD has done a lot to try to stay on
top of it. Recently, the heads of state
of IGAD appointed a special IGAD
envoy for South Sudan. Hopefully, we
will see a lot of changes in the run-up
to the operationalisation of the peace
agreement in South Sudan.
But the problem is not ending,
and people in South Sudan are
saying, maybe, IGAD has failed
themthat you are a batch of
diplomats just enjoying coffee
in hotels and pretending to
discuss the conflict in South
Sudan. What solution is IGAD
proposing?
If the people in South Sudan are
saying that we have failed them, I
would not get surprised. If I was in
their shoes, I would say the same. If
I was like them, sitting in a sewage-
logged UN camp in my own country,
I would feel the same. But just to
encourage them, IGAD has tried very
much to ameliorate the problems
in South Sudan since the problems
started in 2013.
In 2014, IGAD heads of state had a
special meeting to just discuss South
Sudan. It has never happened in our
history that over 14 heads of state
convene to discuss one subject. South
Sudan is at the heart of everybody.
Of course, whether this will be solved
today or tomorrow depends on the
goodwill of the South Sudanese
themselves.
What is your take on President
Yoweri Musevenis key role in
trying to mediate between the
warring factions of SPLA/M?
Our role is to facilitate to ensure that
they get together.
We appreciate the role President
Museveni is playing by trying to
re-constitute trust and rebuild
SPLA/M because this was a party
problem. Uganda is trying to help to
get the party together. This is a good
contribution.
What is your assessment of
Ugandas central role in terms
of enforcing regional peace and
stability?
Ugandans are very generous people.
I remember when all of us were
very scared of talking about directly
intervening; we had Ugandans troops
land in Mogadishu. And I do know
that there are Ugandan soldiers who
have come back in coffins. We have
lost lives of young people who didnt
have to die, but they had to die to
save humankind and for improved
global stability. We dont take it for
granted. I think that is the biggest
contribution Uganda has made. It was
and it is a contribution by blood. They
have done it in Somalia and South
Sudan.
I remember after the outbreak of the
war in South Sudan, IGAD requested
Uganda to secure installations, and
because Uganda secured the airport
in Juba and the main road (Nimule-
Juba), even those of us, who went in
to assist, were able to land peacefully
at Juba airport. A lot of people didnt
look at it like that. They thought it was
interference of Uganda into the affairs
of South Sudan. But they were very
far from the truth. If Uganda troops
had not secured key installations, I
dont think we would be having a
South Sudan to talk about today.
We are in a region where almost
every country has discovered
oil, and, already there are fears
that if the resource is not
exploited well, it might turn
into a curse, rather than an
opportunity
Maalim during the interview
yesterday at the Kampala Serena
Hotel. Photo by Miriam Namutebi
NATIONAL NEWS
On the South Sudan conflict,
n
Maalim said President Kiir
has been told a lot by his
compatriots, heads of state
from the region and African
Union (AU), and those in
the international community
circles. People know that
the South Sudanese do not
have to continue dying after
having achieved what they
fought for. The situation
in South Sudan is very
unfortunate, and IGAD has
done a lot to try to stay on
top of it.
On President Yoweri
n
Museveni, IGAD appreciates
the role that President
Yoweri Museveni is playing
by trying to re-constitute
trust and to rebuild SPLA/M
because this was a party
problem. Uganda is trying
to help to get the party
together.
On oil, Maalim was optimistic
n
that the black gold (oil)
would not raise any conflicts
in Africa, since a lot of
lessons have been learnt
from other countries that
exploited the black gold (oil)
much earlier.
n On Kenya elections, the
diplomat was pleased with
Raila Odingas move to seek
redress in the courts, adding
that Kenyans now trust the
courts discharge of their
jurisprudence.
MAALIMS
KEY
REMARKS
I do know that there are Ugandan
soldiers who have come back in coffins.
We have lost lives of young people who
didnt have to die, but they had to die to
save humankind and for improved global
stability. We dont take it for granted .
for socio-transformation. How
is IGAD positioning itself in as
far as guiding these countries
to ensure the much needed
stainless transformation?
The advantage we have as IGAD is
that we have a lot of lessons that we
have learnt from other countries that
exploited the black gold much earlier
than us. So, we would be crazy to
suffer from problems that our sister
countries suffered. And knowing our
capacities, I dont think we are going
to suffer the same problems. I will be
very surprised if conflicts over the oil
resource happen. We are also serious
democracies. When I listen to the
Ugandan Parliaments contributions,
the way Ugandan, Kenyan, Ethiopian,
Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan
parliamentarians voice their dissent,
you get the impression that they are
contributing from their heart and
want to add value to the development
of their countries. Then the civil
society is also growing. So, there are
always checks on the executive organs
of our countries. But as of now, there
is no indication that the black gold
discoveries in Uganda, Kenya, Sudan
and South Sudan have inspired
negative tendencies.
As a water engineer, who served
Kenya for a long time as
the permanent secretary
in the Ministry of
Water, and later a key
participant in the
Nile Basin Initiative
discussions; what is your take
on the River Nile statement
between Egypt and other
countries sharing the Nile?
The River Nile is a question of
whether the glass is half-full or half-
empty. This is not a difficult question
at all. I completely understand the
concerns of the Egyptians. Egyptians
dont have any other source of fresh
water. It is a true concern, and they
have legitimate questions to ask. On
the other hand, the other countries
across whose land part of the Nile
passes, also have legitimate questions
to ask. You cant tell me that dont
touch this stream that is passing
through my compound. That is also
not legitimate. So, what is the answer?
The answer is to look at the fears
of the Egyptians, and what other
countries need to do, in order to agree
on a balanced mechanism of sharing
the Nile waters. I dont see the issue
as being complicated because we are
not going to change our neighbours
or the course of the Nile. This is not
a mediation of conflict, but one of
technical issues that can be dealt
without guessing because the figures
are there.
How about Kenya? Your
comments On Raila Odinga?
He has made substantial contribution
to the reforms in our country. He has
served as prime minister and minister
for energy. His late dad, Jaramogi, was
an icon. So, his contribution cannot
be underestimated. There is no doubt
about that. He has competed
several times for the position of
president. Unfortunately, he
didnt win. He has now done
the right thing to go to court
and the judicial system in
Kenya has been reformed.
Kenyans now trust the
courts discharge of their
jurisprudence. So, we are
all waiting for what the
highest court in Kenya will
say. But, we dont want
as Kenya, at any time in
our lives, to worry, even
for a second, because of
elections.