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Uganda at the Security Council: Hunt Kony, but hands off Mugabe
Continuing South Africa’s ‘tradition’: In a recent interview on UN Radio, Ugandan ambassador Francis Butagira suggested the country will press the Security Council to approve international intervention in Somalia while maintaining a hands-off posture in regard to other African hot spots such as Zimbabwe. Photo/FILE
Posted Saturday, January 3 2009 at 09:14
In his UN Radio interview, Mr Butagira emphasised, “It is incumbent on African countries themselves to see what they can do to help Somalia.” Uganda’s own approach has been based, he said, on a decision “to help our brothers” in Somalia. He urged other African countries to join Uganda and Burundi in supplying troops for the African Union mission already deployed in Somalia.
Mr Butagira set his goals high when asked what he hoped the Council might achieve by the time Uganda’s term expires at the end of 2010.
He expressed hope that conflicts in Africa will have been resolved by then and that the continent will be focused squarely on its development needs.
Starting on New Year’s Day, Uganda took over a Security Council seat previously occupied by South Africa.
Uganda won 181 votes from the UN General Assembly’s 192 members in an election in October in which Austria, Japan, Mexico and Turkey were also awarded non-permanent spots on the council.
Five countries — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — hold permanent seats on the Security Council where they also wield veto power.
Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam will hold the other rotating seats on the 15-member council through the end of 2009.
Uganda has twice previously been chosen for a Security Council seat —in 1966 and 1981.
Some critics sought unsuccessfully to block the country’s return to the globally prestigious position.
Writing in October for a popular online journal called The Huffington Post, US reporter Georgianne Nienaber noted that Uganda has been accused of wanton human-rights violations and resource plundering in the eastern DRC. Her posting was headlined: “Uganda does not deserve seat on UN Security Council; it’s time to pay attention.”
Ms Nienaber’s commentary cited remarks by a leader of the US-based advocacy group Friends of the Congo who described Uganda as “certainly an agent of the US wreaking havoc on the African continent, particularly in Congo.”
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