Museveni, Ramaphosa set to meet for Regional Security talks
President Museveni is scheduled to meet with Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, at State House Entebbe on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa is expected to arrive in Uganda tomorrow at 10:00 am.
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The discussions will primarily focus on regional security issues, with particular attention given to the ongoing challenges in eastern DR Congo.
Last year, Uganda's troops withdrew from eastern DRC, where they had been serving under the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF).
Conversely, South Africa had previously deployed troops under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to combat the M23 rebels in eastern DRC.
In a bid to foster stronger economic ties between Uganda and South Africa, President Museveni visited the latter country last year.
During his visit, he met with Ramaphosa and members of his cabinet.
They engaged in discussions, signed various trade and bilateral agreements, and aimed to enhance cooperation between the two nations.
Following their discussion, Ramaphosa will travel from Kampala to the Republic of South Sudan for a working visit from April 16th to 18th. The objective of this visit is to strengthen the existing relations between the two countries.
While in South Sudan, Ramaphosa will receive briefings from his counterpart, Kiir Mayardit, and other stakeholders regarding the progress made in implementing the Revitalized Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
The agreement, signed on September 12, 2018, is set to conclude in February of next year, with elections scheduled for December of this year.
Given the circumstances, Ramaphosa has appointed Deputy President Paul Mashatile as his Special Envoy.
Mashatile will be responsible for providing practical and political support to the parties involved in the R-ARCSS and the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU), to achieve the necessary measures for a democratic and peaceful conclusion to the transitional period.
Deputy President Mashatile's engagement with stakeholders during his visit to South Sudan led to his recommendation for a follow-up visit by Ramaphosa.
South Africa has been a steadfast supporter of South Sudan since its independence in 2011, actively participating in various conflict resolution and mediation mechanisms, state-building initiatives, capacity-building of state institutions, and post-conflict reconstruction and development programs.
Official bilateral relations between South Sudan and South Africa were established in September 2012 under the General Cooperation Agreement.
Moreover, South Africa currently chairs the African Union High-Level Ad-hoc Committee for South Sudan, also known as C5, which aims to support South Sudan in its transitional process.
South Africa maintains a positive and friendly bilateral relationship with South Sudan, with historical ties predating South Sudan's independence on July 9, 2011.
