The Church of Uganda has denounced Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury as the head of the global Anglican Church over a recent decision by the General Synod of the Church of England to permit the clergy to bless same-sex couples. 

In a statement jointly signed by the chairman of the Global South, Archbishop Justin Badi of South Sudan, and the provincial archbishops of Chile, the Indian Ocean, Congo, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Uganda, Sudan, Alexandria, and Melanesia, the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) say they "no longer able to recognize the present Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Hon & Most Revd Justin Welby, as the ‘first among equals’ leader of the global communion."

The primates also accuse Welby of having regrettably led the House of Bishops in England to support the motion on "Living in Love and Faith" well knowing that doing so would go against the orders and beliefs of the orthodox provinces in the communion, whose citizens make up the majority of the world's flock. 

The clerics also note that the Church of England has strayed from the historic faith and is no longer regarded as the "mother church" of the Anglican communion.

“Given this action by the Church of England’s General Synod, we believe it is no longer possible to continue in the way the Communion is. We do not accept the view that we can still ‘walk together’ with the revisionist provinces,” the statement added.

They further stated that as GSFA primates, they would swiftly meet, consult with, and work with other Orthodox primates in the Anglican Church across the nations to restore the Communion to its biblical foundation in light of the Church of England's loss of its position as the global Communion leader. 

The decision was not a surprise for Ugandans where Archbishop Rev Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu has been warning the faithful since December 2022 that they would begin the necessary procedures to leave the Canterbury, once it officially declared its support for same-sex unions.

When the national assembly of the Church of England chose to preserve the prohibition on Church weddings for same-sex couples while allowing priests to bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships, Kaziimba reiterated the position of the Church of Uganda on the subject.

“And, if they refuse to repent, then we call on them to have the integrity to form their own Canterbury Communion because what they believe is not Anglicanism and it is not the faith once delivered to the saints. If they want to take their whole church into the belly of a whale, they are free to do that; we are, after all, autonomous Anglican provinces. They are not free to drag the whole Anglican Communion with them. The Anglican Communion is not an extension of the Church of England, the Church of England has departed from the Anglican faith and are now false teachers,” Kaziimba said.  

The Church of England has for long been the historical progenitor of Anglican churches around the world under what is termed as Anglican Communion, a loose federation whose bishops recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury in England as their spiritual leader. 

However, over the past decades, a section of Anglicans in Africa and other parts of the global South has become increasingly critical of the socially progressive tendencies of their mother church and others in the west. 

This criticism has focused particularly on same-sex marriage and related LGBT rights. To this effect, the conservative Anglican churches had over the years been severing ties with churches that espouse liberal views on homosexuality, including the Episcopal Church in the United States. - URN/The Observer

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir urged Sudanese holdout groups Sunday to join the negotiation table to fast-track the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement.

He spoke after leaders from South Sudan and Sudan witnessed the signing of the third amendment of an implementation matrix of the agreement between Sudan’s government and opposition groups under the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).

President Kiir, who is the guarantor of the Sudan peace agreement, said the signed implementation matrix will fast-track the formation of the transitional government of national unity in Sudan.

"I would like to once again call upon General Abdelaziz Adam El Hilu, the leader of the SPLM-North, and Ustaz Abdul Wahid Mohamed al Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, to seriously consider joining the Juba Peace Agreement,” said Kiir, according to a press statement posted on his official Facebook page.

He stressed that lasting peace in Sudan will remain elusive until these leaders join the peace train.

Kiir said that peace is an important dividend for the two sisterly countries.

"As a guarantor, our shared historical values and common interests demand that we work for stability to ensure prosperity for our people. It is our desire for peace in Sudan that compelled us to host numerous rounds of negotiations between the transitional government and various oppositions groups,” he said.

He said the new roadmap is not an attempt at renegotiating the 2020 Juba peace agreement signed to end decades of conflict but rather to facilitate dialogue among parties to transition the country toward sustainable peace.

“As the guarantor who led the process, let me reiterate on behalf of other guarantors that this workshop is not a parallel political process or a renegotiation of the Juba Peace Agreement. It is intended to contribute to the ongoing dialogue in Sudan about options for the transition and best approach towards the issue of democratic transformation.”

The opposition parties that signed the matrix include the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) faction led by Malik Agar, the Justice and Equality Movement under Gibril Ibrahim, the Democratic Union party led by Eltom Hajou and the Sudan Liberation Movement under Minni Minnawi.

The holdout groups such as the SPLM-N faction led by Abdel Aziz Al-Hilu and Sudan Liberation Movement under Abdul Wahi Al-Nur did not sign the matrix.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, said his government remains committed to realizing security, freedom and development in all regions of Sudan.

“The implementation of the Juba peace agreement will help in putting into practice the 2012 cooperation agreement, providing joint border security and the opening of border points for trade and exchange,” said Al-Burhan.

He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to work with the signatories to the Juba peace deal to fully implement the matrix for lasting peace in Sudan.

Minnawi called on the international community and the region to avail financial and political support for the implementation of the peace deal, which has stalled due to a lack of funding and political uncertainty in Sudan.

“We need political and financial support including regional and international support to bring changes and fully implement all pending tasks. In Darfur, we call for peace and development, and we hope the Juba Peace Agreement will allow refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their original homes,” said Minnawi.

Ismail Wais, the special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), urged the signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement to consistently implement it, noting that the peace guarantors are behind the government of Sudan to ensure that a sustainable peace is reached in the country.

El Sheikh Iben Omar, the special advisor of Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, commended the government of South Sudan for the support and mediation of the Sudanese peace agreement.

The Juba Peace Agreement was signed in Juba under the auspices of President Kiir on Oct. 3, 2020 between the Sudanese government and 14 signatories. The Republic of Chad, United Arab Emirates and IGAD are the guarantors, while Egypt and Qatar are witnesses to the peace deal. - Benjamin Takpiny, Anadolu Agency

President Paul Kagame on Friday, February 17, met with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for a discussion on regional security and solutions that support regional mechanisms and processes.

Their meeting, held in Addis Ababa, followed a mini-summit where Kagame joined other East African Community (EAC) Heads of State to discuss the implementation of the Nairobi peace process and Luanda roadmap in a bid to address the deteriorating security situation in eastern DR Congo.

“They also discussed UN-Rwanda areas of partnerships in peacekeeping, achieving SDGs among others,” the president’s office announced.

Kagame is in Addis Ababa for the 36th Ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

The bi-annual meeting is attended by African Heads of State and Government as well as heads and representatives of international organizations including the United Nations.

Held under the theme “The Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation,” this year’s Assembly will consider and make decisions on various political and socio-economic areas to promote and advance the welfare and quality of life for African citizens. - Edwin Ashimwe, The New Times