11/09/2021
Museveni and Kagame to begin talks countries relationship.
Uganda has invited Rwanda for an ad-hoc meeting to discuss and verify the implementation of an agreement that both countries signed in 2019 to put an end to their long standing bilateral tensions.
An invitation letter sent by Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen Jeje Odongo, was received by his Rwandan counterpart, Vincent Biruta, on August 30, sources from both governments confirmed.
However, Rwanda denied that there were plans for the meeting “for now.”
“No meeting is planned for now, but Rwanda remains open to follow-up dialogue on the issues raised. However the problems persist because Uganda continues to abduct, arrest, torture and deport Rwandans,” Yolande Makolo, Rwanda government Spokesperson told The EastAfrican.
“As we have said repeatedly, the situation will only improve if Uganda stops supporting political and armed groups hostile to Rwanda, and spreading false information about the impasse between our two countries.”
This comes at a time when the two countries continue to bicker over espionage, support for rebels and mistreatment of citizens across each other’s borders.
Their presidents have also recently publicly traded barbs on TV, in what appears to be the strongest signal that diplomatic and bilateral relations have once again fallen apart.
President Yoweri Museveni, in an interview that aired on France24 on September 8, said, “We had discussions long ago with the mediation of Angola some years ago. I have not seen the border being opened,” when asked why the border was closed and when it would be opened.
President Museveni, too, downplayed the Pegasus international spying expose allegations against Rwanda.
“I did not follow it up, but it is a waste of time. Spying to do what? If I want secrets, you will not know because the secrets are in my head. They are not on microphones,” Museveni said.