Some notes on the Katuna meet between Museveni and Kagame

Another Quadripartite Summit Meeting between the presidents of Angola, DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda took place on Friday, February 21, at Katuna Border Post (Rwandans call their side Gatuna).
Since the meeting took place in no-man’s land, the organisers tagged it Katuna-Gatuna; so no party claims to have hosted it. This summit was a follow-up on two others called to help resolve the impasse between Uganda and Rwanda. The last time there was such a meeting (between Kagame and Museveni) at Katuna-Gatuna, I was on the Rwandan side (chest-thumping against Ugandans). This time I am on the Ugandan side.
President Kagame of Rwanda was informal in dress. And both mediators, President Tshisekedi of DR Congo and Joao Laurenco of Angola, were also informally dressed. Mr Museveni was an odd man out: He was dressed formally in a suit. The two mediators are said to have flown from their capitals to Kigali and then drove to Katuna-Gatuna. That’s why cynics may find no wonder in the fact that the three presidents had informal dressing.
I have asked friends (on both sides) to freeze their minds and imagine: Oh yes, imagine that a day or two before the Katuna-Gatuna Summit, President Tshisekedi flew to Uganda and President Laurenco flew to Rwanda.
I am aware that Mr Museveni had wanted to go to Kinshasa. But a European country is said to have advised otherwise. The journey died, as Ugandans would say. In a February 18 Facebook post, The Witch of Kiburara (TWOK) ‘advised’ against such a journey to Kinshasa (particularly for the complicated security risk management it would invite. This region has a record, you know).
So, since Mr Museveni had wanted to go to Kinshasa, President Tshisekedi would have been the better suit to come to Kampala as the Angolan president goes to Kigali. Imagine the confidence-building this travel arrangement would have brought to bear on the Katuna-Gatuna Quadripartite Summit Meeting?
The Quadripartite Katuna-Gatuna Summit was also made on the backdrop for the signing ceremony of a Repatriation Treaty between Uganda and Rwanda. And before that, a passport said to have been issued by Uganda to a one Charlotte Mukankusi was cancelled and invalidated. I don’t want to talk about passports. I one time found myself with a passport (complete with travel entries) I was not familiar with. And that became my official passport and ID; and all the indiscretions associated with the holder (for which I almost got killed). So, what if the cancelled and invalidated passport doesn’t belong to Charlotte? Don’t laugh…, I have seen such things happening.
According to the communiqué issued by the Quadripartite Summit Meeting, the normalisation of relationship between Uganda and Rwanda will be after 45 days (counting from Friday, February 21) if Uganda does as agreed - 30 days for Uganda to verify whether enemies of Rwanda are operating in Uganda and 15 days in which to call up another Quadripartite Summit Meeting (at which an official, 1) declaration for the normalisation of relations would be made and, 2) the opening of the border by Rwanda).
Funny, all the four main entry points commonly used by Ugandans (Cyanika-Cyanika, Katuna-Gatuna, Mirama Hills-Kagitumba and Kigali International Airport) are open. However, the short and tall of it is that the government of Rwanda has 1) ‘advised’ Rwandans against travelling to Uganda and 2) denied Ugandan merchandise entry into Rwanda.
As things stand, Mr Museveni needs to address the nation on the Uganda-Rwanda issue before the next summit. Ugandans need to know more about this unending Uganda-Rwanda issue (which has even overshadowed our ‘shining moment’ in South Sudan).
Mr Bisiika is the executive editor of East African Flagpost.

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