Involve Formers Heads of state to resolve regional conflicts-Museveni

photo by PPU

By Mary Kigo.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called involvement of former heads of states in resolving regional conflicts.

Speaking at a meeting with United Nations Deputy Secretary General, JAN Eliasson, at the sidelines of an Inter-governmental Authority on Development meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia museveni noted that in case of armed conflicts it is important to involve neutral and mutually agreeable formers heads of state who would ensure proper follow up of the resolutions to end the conflicts.

“The Problem is that coordination is not done. We are not following up properly. For armed conflicts, we should have former heads of State involved. In Burundi we survived because we had former President Julius Nyerere and President Mandela involved,” he said.

He further noted there is need for stronger coordination mechanisms at the highest international level possible in finding a solution to regional conflicts saying this is paramount.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues particularly the security situation in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The President warned against sectarian tendencies emphasizing that countries need to understand that they need prosperity and security first and foremost and that clan systems and sectarian tendencies based on tribes, religion cannot guarantee this.

Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson thanked President Museveni for his devotion and his time in ensuring that a solution is found for conflicts in the region and pledged the UN support in implementation.

Museveni  is in Ethiopia for an IGAD led peace process on South Sudan meeting that saw several heads of state including Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia, and Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan in intense closed door consultations to ensure a deal is reached before the IGAD set August 17 deadline.

Road to 2016: Journalists manifesto launched

By Mary Kigo.

The minister for information and national guidance, Jim Muhwezi has asked journalists to be professional while reporting ahead of the next year’s general election.

Speaking at a regional conference on media freedom and freedom of expression organized by the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Media, minister Muhwezi noted that the government is taking keen interest on efforts towards the development of journalism in the country.

He noted that a robust parliament and media fraternity are key towards promoting democracy in Uganda and the East African region at large.

Muhwezi said it is encouraging to not that regional parliaments are working towards having responsible media in their respective countries.

He said amid calls to have media freedom in the country there is need to have trained journalists in order to safeguard the freedom.

“ I know that there are many journalist in key positions but they are not trained and certified, this needs to change so that by the time a person starts to practice as a journalist they are fully equipped with skills’’ he said.

The minister also launched the Journalists manifesto 2016, detailing guidelines that will inform reporting during next years’ general elections.

According to the manifesto journalist will be required to verify information gathered before it is broadcast to ensure that members of the public get accurate information.

Media houses will also be required to verify authenticity of opinion polls before the elections in order to avoid falling prey to Shum polls that might put the country at risk. Journalists will also be required to desist from creating independent tally centers and commit to publize only results released by the electoral commission.

While presenting a paper on media freedom at the event, senior journalist Joshua Kyalimpa noted that it is high time that people stopped looking at issues of media freedom as a monopoly of journalists in the country.

He said unless the country gets media freedom achieving development targets like the vision 2040 will be impossible.

“Media should be looked at as an important vehicle for development to take Uganda to the level that we all desire’’ he noted.