President Paul Kagame’s Rwandan government has suggested that Uganda needs to do more to resolve the differences between Kigali and Kampala.
On January 17, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s special message to Kagame.
It remains unclear what the special message was about.
But observers of regional politics and security predict that the rift between Rwanda and Uganda, the Gatuna/Katuna border point closure and the UPDF-FARDC offensive against ADF rebels could have formed part of the content in the special message.
Since the Katuna/Gatuna border closure in 2019, attempts to resolve disagreements between Kampala and Kigali have not yielded fruits.
Kagame’s Rwanda has continued to accuse Museveni’s Uganda, and vice versa.
Both sides have also expressed readiness to defend themselves against each other, sparking fears of war between the two neighbors. (Read story here).
Museveni and Kagame have also had some war of words played out on international media.
For example, Kagame claimed Museveni was a regional bully. (Read story here).
Also significant were the claims that Rwanda was spying on Uganda using Pegasus software. (Find story here).
And now, Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo’s statement is anything to go by, then the cold war and cold relationship between Kigali and Kampala could be far from over.
Just hours after Ambassador Ayebare delivered Museveni’s message to Kagame, Makolo demanded more than just meetings and visits.
“Good to see talks continue at all levels, but meetings and envoy visits have not led to tangible results on Uganda’s part,” Makolo wrote.
“Still no accountability for terrorist elements operating against Rwanda inside Uganda, and harassment of innocent Rwandans continues.”
