Museveni-Kagame rivalry fuels conflict

President Museveni endorsed that Rwanda be listed as a hostile country. Museveni then wrote his now infamous letter to British Overseas Development Minister Clare Short, seeking to raise defence expenditure to thwart a threat from President Kagame who was using dissident Uganda army officers to recruit and train rebels in three camps in Rwanda.
To Kagame's outrage, Museveni referred to Rwandan leadership as ideologically bankrupt.

The British hastily convened a meeting in London between the two leaders and the matter was closed. Or was it?
It was pointed out at that time that whereas the Ugandan government sought to end tensions created by the letter, Kagame was not yet prepared to.

"Anybody can judge from the content of the letter who is the cause of the problem," he told the BBC after the meeting.
Neither Ugandan nor Rwandan peoples want war.]

They do not even understand how the two countries could think of training dissidents or even threaten war!
The socio-economic relations between the countries are like no other and the Uganda-Rwanda history is unique.

The cream of Rwandan leadership grew up, studied in Uganda and fought the NRA bush war. The NRA, of which a few Rwandans, including Kagame, were founding members, brought Museveni to power in 1986.

In turn, the war that brought the RPF to power was supported by Uganda and the RPA was even considered an extension of the Ugandan army.
Analysts say nothing but the big egos of the two is at the heart the current conflict - one trying to play big brother, the other eager to prove he's outgrown small brother status.

Kagame accuses Museveni of imposing authority on Kigali. At the London meeting mediated by the British, Kagame reportedly said Rwanda would continue fighting to prevent its leadership being looked down upon.