Uganda, Rwanda form talk teams

Uganda and Rwanda have started the process of forming an ad hoc commission headed by foreign affairs ministers and composed of intelligence chiefs to implement the seven issues agreed between the two countries during the last month talks in Luanda, Angola.

The commission is supposed to implement the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by presidents Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame to the de-escalate the tension between the countries.

Rwanda’s state minister for the East African Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe, who has been outspoken on the bad relations between the countries, yesterday said Kigali had started the process.

“We are working on it and we will inform you at a later stage. It’s better for the media to wait for the details. It’s not good to give details to the media,” he said.

Three days after the MoU was signed, Mr Nduhungirehe told Rwandans not to travel to Uganda until all Rwandans allegedly under arrest in Uganda have been released.

But yesterday, when asked whether Rwanda was still against its nationals travelling to Uganda, he said: “Everything, including that issue, will be discussed and addressed by the commission.”
The key issues agreed upon during the talks is the reopening of the Rwanda border which the Kigali government closed in February at the height of the tension.

The Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Mr Patrick Mugoya, said they were already putting up a team and that the two teams would soon meet.
“On our side, we have already started the process because this is an urgent matter,” he said.

When asked when the first meeting would take place, Mr Mugoya said: “May be in a few weeks.” He didn’t give details of who is who on the commission. The commission is also supposed to have officials from internal affairs ministry.

The signing of the MoU was witnessed by the Angolan president Joao Lourenco and Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso.

Genesis of the talks

Sources. According to sources, Angola came to play a key role after presidents Kagame and Joao Lourenco met at the reburial of DR Congo President Felix Tshikeddi’s father in DR Congo.
Sources say during the event, President Kagame told his Congolese and Angolan counterparts that Uganda had become hostile to him.

It is also reported that he told the two presidents that it was Uganda which had closed the border.
After, the meeting, the two presidents decided to initiate talks chaired by Angola.
The Angolan president later sent his special envoy and Angolan foreign affairs minister Manuel Domingos Augustino on June 18, to deliver “a special message” to President Museveni at a meeting at State House, Nakasero in Kampala.

On June 27, the State Minister for Veterans Affairs, Lt Col Bright Rwamirama, also led a Ugandan delegation to Angola.
Response. State Minister for International Affairs Henry Oryem Okello did not give details on how Angola and DR Congo came to be key players in the talks but said: “But it doesn’t matter whoever was approached. The most important issue is that the misunderstanding between Rwanda and Uganda should be resolved...”

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