history 22 March 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Flashback: Iran's Foreign Minister Tours Khartoum and Kampala to Salvage Uganda-Sudan Peace Deal
In 1997, Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati visited Sudan and Uganda amid escalating border tensions and mutual rebel support accusations, aiming to enforce a peace pact brokered by Iran the previous year. Despite these efforts, the agreements failed to prevent further conflict, leading eventually to South Sudan's independence in 2011. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/people-power/past-present-iran-minister-hops-from-khartoum-to-kampala-to-save-tehran-agreement-5398980
Twenty-nine years ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati arrived in Khartoum on March 12, 1997, prioritizing talks to resolve disputes between Uganda and Sudan. His itinerary included Kampala the next day, as reported by The Monitor on March 14, 1997.
This came during heightened Sudanese claims of heavy casualties inflicted on Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in the Lanya area, near Juba. Sudan’s Culture and Information Minister Al-Tayeb Ibrahim Mohamed Khair stated via state radio that their forces destroyed Ugandan tanks and seized arms, hinting at foreign backing for Uganda.
Tensions stemmed from long-standing mutual accusations: Sudan blamed Uganda for aiding the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) rebels in the south, while Uganda accused Sudan of supporting the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the north. Diplomatic ties had been cut in 1995 over these issues.
The previous year, in September 1996, Uganda and Sudan signed a 12-point peace pact in Khartoum, brokered by Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani during his African tour to counter Western isolation. This led to the ‘New Tehran Agreement’ signed in November 1996 by Ugandan and Sudanese officials.
Rafsanjani’s Uganda visit also yielded seven economic deals on oil, dams, agriculture, and trade. He highlighted Nile dams’ potential for 10,000 megawatts of power, offering Iranian expertise.
Yet, border clashes persisted into 1997, raising doubts in Khartoum and Tehran about Uganda’s commitment. Sudanese officials saw attacks as sabotage against Iranian mediation. Velayati remained hopeful, urging adherence to the pacts.
Ultimately, the agreements faltered. Conflict ended with the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Naivasha, Kenya, followed by South Sudan’s 2011 independence referendum.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)