By Nasser Kasozi
the implimentation of the hitherto secrete afreement between president museveni and paulo kagame of rwanda has got underwa with the release and handover of nine Rwanda nationals to immigration authorities ready for repatriation back to their home country.
the nine were recently released by Uganda military court martial sitting in makindye in Kampala expected to be repatriated back to Rwanda.
Ugandan minister of foreign affairs Sam Kahamba Kutesa told journalists in Kampala at an event that was attended by Rwandan High commissioner Frank Mugambagye, the Uganda special envoy to Rwanda Adonia Ayebare among other officials at Serena hotel.
Kutesa told journalists that, Uganda government has decided to handle over the nine individuals to immigration back to Rwanda as gesture of good will and hope it will be a process to bring peace between the two nations.
“I wish to finally reiterate Uganda’s commitment to the full normalization of relations between the two countries and to further assure that any outstanding issues and concerns will be addressed in an open and transparent manner. Kutesa said
He said handing over these individuals is in line with in the Luanda memorandum of understanding signed between the republic of Uganda and the republic of Rwanda on the normalization of relations between the two countries, and that it is in the context of the good will being exhibited in effort to normalize relations between the two countries.
Sam Kutesa added with is repatriation process government of Uganda has decided to withdraw all charges against the nine (9) Rwandese nationals that were undergoing prosecution in the general court martial for various offenses including among others unlawful possession of fire arms and ammunition at the time that the cases were coming up for hearing.
Kutesa said the nine Rwandan individuals will soon be repatriated back to their country after immigration has expeditiously handled all their issues to the later but they are free individual with no case and these were:Minister said on the question of whereabouts of the other Rwandan nationals who were believed to be in Uganda’s incommunicado that were all release diplomatically through proper immigration channels the rest government authorities will handle as the spirit of pan Africanism and good will between the two country brothers.
He noted reiterated the need to have a peaceful and prosperous East African community and releasing these individuals the government of Uganda is doing it to ease tension between Uganda and Rwanda.
Recently president Museveni Uganda, Rwanda will soon take decisive steps in amending ties, sent send a special envoy to meet president Paulo Kagama as a sign of commitment to end tensions between two countries.
President Museveni revealed that Uganda and Rwanda will soon take “decisive steps” to resolve the tensions between the two countries.
Museveni’s remarks come after he sent an envoy to meet his Rwanda counterpart Paul Kagame.
“I just want to inform you that I received Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, who had gone as my special envoy to President Kagame, on the issue of the tensions between our two countries,” he said in a statement issued on Tuesday, December 31.
“Ambassador Ayebare was well received by H.E Paul Kagame and
they had very fruitful discussions. Soon, the two sides will be taking decisive
actions to end the tension.
Uganda, I can guarantee, will do its share of the normalization of the relations
between our two countries. I salute H.E Kagame, the brotherly people of Rwanda
and the people of Uganda,” he added.
This comes nearly two weeks after the second round of talks between Uganda and Rwanda ended on Friday, December 13, 2020, without the two countries reaching to an agreement about resolving their differences.
The meeting, which was part of the implementation of the Luanda peace deal signed in Angola in August, also ended without any joint communique issued to the media, an indication of lack of any concrete agreement.
The meeting, held at Speke Hotel in Munyonyo, Kampala, had started with a press conference in which officials from the two countries pledged willingness to resolve their disagreements that culminated in Rwanda closing its border to Uganda, effectively affecting trade and labor movement.
Then the meeting was closed to the media. Rwanda’s Minister for Regional Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe and Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Uganda Frank Mugambage led the Kigali team. Maj.Gen.Joseph Nzabamwita, the Secretary-general for the National Intelligence and Security Service, and Gen.Patrick Nyamvumba, the Minister for Internal Security, also formed the delegation.
On the Ugandan delegation was Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, State Minister for Internal Affairs Obiga Kania and Deputy Attorney General, Mwesigwa Rukutana.
It also comprised the head of CMI, Brig.Abel Kandiho, his deputy, Col.CK. Asiimwe, ESO Director General Joseph Ocwet and Police Crime Intelligence Director Col. Chris Ddamulira.
The meeting then set to discuss the key contentious issues; Rwanda asked Uganda to stop supporting rebel groups such as Rwanda National Congress (RNC) led by Kayumba Nyamwasa and Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) based in DR Congo.
Rwanda also accused Uganda of arbitrarily arresting it’s citizens without reason.
But Kampala denied the claims, with Kutesa insisting that the arrests were made within the law and that Rwandan military officials were arrested trying to infiltrate Kampala security forces.
Sources within the meeting, which lasted about seven hours, said that the two sides haggled for long over the two issues, with seemingly no progress in sight.
Eventually, they resolved to go and update their presidents over the issues.
The implication of the standoff was that the border will remain closed.
The Rwanda border with Uganda at Gatuna has been closed since February 2019 – which has seen trade between two countries tumble to near zero.
Rwanda says Uganda supports armed groups that are attempting to overthrow the Kigali administration. Uganda denies this and accuses Kigali of infiltrating the country’s security agencies.
