Justice over relations; Museveni’s game on Bashir

by Rosebell's Blog, posted in Uncategorized

Uganda is caught in between the ICC and its need to keep good relations with Sudan. The President has no position yet on Bashir’s visit and whether he would be arrested. He made a phone call to Bashir to ‘apologise’ for a statement made by Minister Okello Oryem that Bashir would be arrested.

sudan_presidentTo make his minister look like a mediocre who knows nothing about his limits (Museveni said Oryem is not the right person to talk on the issue) and the media like they had exaggerated (he said that’s not what the minister stated) the president seems to have no stand as his hands remain tied.

Well too bad for him minister but for the media, you can’t deny a statement capture by many on camera in front of the ICC prosecutor. If this statement had been told to one journalist, this government would have been quick to say they were misquoted and that it was full of lies. But we were all there and the minister meant what he said and he didn’t say anything wrong. May be because he told the media what he wasn’t supposed to tell them. But such is the position Uganda is in. Most leaders in the country seem to support the arrest anyway so whatever games President Museveni is playing are meant for the international community and Sudan.

We will wait to see if Bashir came make this trip to Kampala which could be fateful or remarkable in that he would go free and make a statement bashing the west when he’s killing Darfurians. But news from Ugandan Foreign Affairs ministry says They have agreed that Bashir could send a deputy.

Published by Rosebell's Blog

Bushenyi roots. editor, public speaker, feminist writer, award-winning blogger and socio-political analyst. Words seen in international media like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Quartz and Mundo Negro. Expertise in new media, social justice, migration, gender, peace and security issues. Was honored with the 2018 Anna Guèye Award for her work on digital democracy, justice and equality by Africtivistes. She is the co-editor of a book: Challenging Patriarchy: The Role of Patriarchy in the Roll-Back of Democracy. Rosebell has expertise in human rights, gender, peace and conflict issues. Rosebell was recently recognized by Avance Media as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Africa for 2021 edition. I studied Mass Communication at Makerere University, short courses on Non-violent conflict at Tufts University, Global Leadership and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and MA in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from the University for Peace. Outside Uganda, I have lived in Costa Rica, Switzerland and a bit in Ethiopia.

2 thoughts on “Justice over relations; Museveni’s game on Bashir”

  1. Reuters reports Bashir will send a deputy.

    “The invitation still stands … (but) we will handle it through diplomatic channels to avoid embarrassment and inconvenience to anybody,” James Mugume, a senior Ugandan foreign affairs official, told Reuters by telephone.

    “It’s a codeword for an agreement that President Bashir delegates another senior cabinet-ranked person. That was agreed,” he said.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLG94343

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