By George Murumba

2^nd April 2012:

Kampala – March 31, President Yoweri Museveni has condemned the military coup that took place recently in the West African state of Mali.

“People reserve the right to themselves to directly intervene in a matter by referendum if necessary,” said Museveni the opening ceremony of the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Uganda’s capital Kampala.

On March 22, renegade Malian soldiers led by Amadou Haya Sanogo toppled Mali’s President Amadou Toumani Toure in a coup and took control of government institutions.

The coup leaders said they mounted the coup out of anger at the government’s inability to contain the two-month-old Tuareg rebellion in north of the country.

The coup drew international condemnation. The African Union, the ECOWAS, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the International Crisis Group, and the United Nations have all denounced the military takeover of the government in the West African country.

The Ugandan president also added that, “If you only deal with government issues but you do not deal with these strategic factors (social and economic transformation), that democracy is not likely to thrive.”

Several other issues will also be debated at the conference including the recent events in the Middle East as well as the situation in Syria.

The 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference kicked off on March 31 and will run until April 5, 2012.  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.