President Yoweri Museveni has closed the Global Peace Leadership Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo with a stinging criticism of what he called greedy forces, which he said foments conflicts for economic gain.
Museveni singled out the United Nations and the USA for raging conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the restive Middle-East respectively.
“The original problem in Iran was caused by the Americans around 1963. There was a democratic election in Iran which brought Mosadec. The CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] organised a coup against Mosadec. It was the greed of the Americans,” said Museveni.
Superiority in technology, he added, “can cause people to disrupt peace.”
In DRC, Museveni said following the murder of Patrice Lumumba, Congo has never had peace, making UN to keep presence in the vast nation since 1963 to date.
Museveni’s chide didn’t spare Europeans, who he said are wont to impose their values on other people without sensitivity to cultural differences.
“We know people who are rumoured to be homosexuals. But you can’t stand here and say I am homosexual…that I should stand up and cheer homosexuality,” said Museveni.
The Global Peace Leadership Conference 2018 was run under the theme: “Moral and Innovative Leadership, New Models for Sustainable Peace and Development.”
It began on the 1st of August 2018, with a host of plenary sessions pitched to discuss varied topical issues.
Discussions were crowned with the high level presidential panel, which was moderated by Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah.
A joint communique termed the Kampala declaration on Peace was later read by the State Minister for International Affairs, Hon Henry Okello Oryem.
It centred on four actionable points, signed by Museveni, South Sudan First Vice President Taban Deng Gai, former Zanzibar President Abed Karume and Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa who represented President Uhuru Kenyatta, among others.
The communique listed social cohesion and peace building, moral and Innovative leadership and empowering families as cornerstones upon which global peace may be built.
On his part, Museveni named four areas that contribute to instability.
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Conflict between man and nature, between man and man, group chauvinism and worsening environment were listed by the President as the major causes of conflict.
From bullet to ballot
On his part, Oulanyah recounted Uganda’s long struggle against instability, crediting President Museveni for playing a critical role in ushering in peace.
“We changed the use of the bullet into the use of the ballot…we have moved the guns and replaced them with the ballot,” said Oulanyah.
Oulanyah would later hand an award to President Yoweri Museveni, who the conference recognised for “Building peace in Burundi, South Sudan and supporting peace in the region.”
Kenyan Minister Wamalwa, said their country has made strides in peace, naming a March 9 handshake between President Kenyatta and opposition chief Raila Odinga as their masterpiece.
Following a highly divisive repeat presidential elections boycotted by the opposition, an atmosphere of chaos hovered over Kenya, forcing the political rivals to talk peace.
The move later confounded both allies and foe, cooling tensions and setting the stage for what analysts predict will be an acrimonious battle to succeed President Kenyatta in 2022.
Vice President Taban apologised for what he described as the “mess” in South Sudan, promising to “surprise” the region by brokering peace among the warring factions.
“I know many of you are disappointed in the messing up in my country (sic), but we are learning and we are going to surprise you,” he said.