The rebel delegation meant to meet Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni returned to Ethiopia Tuesday after the Ugandan government refused to receive them at the airport.

The high level delegation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by deputy chairman Alfred Lado Gore arrived Tuesday but never left Entebbe International Airport.

The visit was part of the mediation framework led by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo designed to sort out differences between opposition leader Riek Machar and President Museveni.

Museveni sent the Ugandan military to support Kiir, proving decisive in the battle for Bor to turn the rebel tide.

SPLM-IO head of external relations Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing told Radio Tamazuj their spent about five hours at Entebbe Airport and decided to return to Ethiopia after the Ugandan government didn’t show up.

Mathok attributed the problem to the lack of coordination between the two parties and the mediation.

He said there will a face-to-face meeting between the Ugandan President Yuweri Museveni and the SPLA-IO leader Riek Machar in Addis Ababa.

Separately, Mathok criticized the IGAD ceasefire monitors delegation visiting Juba for condemning the SPLM-IO rebels attack on Nasir.

He called the condemnation unfortunate and  said the attack on Nasir, which resulted in the capture of the town, was a fight back.

File photo: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni (UN Photo/Mark Garten)

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