South Sudanese government has distanced itself from former Kenyan prime minister, Raila Odinga’s recent diplomatic visit to Uganda.
This comes days after Odinga suggested that South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir had instructed him to seek Museveni’s approval before meeting with Dr. Riek Machar, who is currently under house arrest.
Odinga traveled to Juba on Friday on the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mission to mediate in the ongoing conflict that has resulted in South Sudan’s First Vice President, Machar’s detention, on the orders of President Kiir.
However, after being denied access to Machar, Odinga flew to Kampala, where it was reported that Kiir’s administration had directed him to first obtain permission from Museveni before seeing Machar.
Odinga would later state that he had been prevented from speaking with Machar and instead advised to meet with President Museveni.
“I asked to be allowed to talk to Dr. Machar, but they were not able to allow me to see him,” said Raila. “They recommended that I meet with President Museveni,” Odinga said.
However, during a press conference on Monday, David Amuor Majur, the Presidential Press Secretary of South Sudan, strongly refuted Odinga’s claims, describing them as a misunderstanding of diplomatic protocols.
“The suggestion that His Excellency General Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, requested Right Honorable Raila Odinga to meet with the President of Uganda is misrepresenting diplomatic norms and principles”‘ Majur said.
“The Right Honorable Odinga’s mission to Uganda was pre-arranged. Nobody has sent him to go and talk to President Museveni.” he added
The situation in South Sudan has been tense in recent weeks following the arrest of Machar and other officials from the SPLA-IO, who are accused by Kiir’s administration of attempting to destabilize the country.
Various regional organizations and the international community have expressed concerns that these developments could jeopardize the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and potentially lead the country back into violent conflict.
On March 10, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced the deployment of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to South Sudan to help stabilize the situation.
“UPDF Commandos arriving in Juba to support South Sudan People’s Defence Forces in the current crisis,” Gen Muhoozi said. “Operation ‘Mlinzi wa Kimya’ has begun.”
After meeting Museveni, Odinga, is expected to brief other regional leaders on his mission and a possible roadmap to sustainable peace and stability in South Sudan.
