Museveni, Kagame discuss great lakes region security

DIPLOMACY   

President Yoweri Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, have held talks on a number of issues, including the need to stabilise the border situation.

The high-level virtual video conference on Wednesday was also attended by Presidents Joao Lourenco (Angola) and Felix Tshisekedi (DR Congo), who are witnesses to talks geared at resolving long-standing border disputes between Kampala and Kigali and also normalise relations between Uganda and Rwanda.

According to a communique issued during the mini-summit, Museveni, Kagame, Tshisekedi and Lourenco discussed issues of ‘common' interest.

"The mini-summit offered the heads of state the opportunity to discuss subjects of common interest, with a view to strengthening good neighbourly relations between the countries concerned and strengthening of co-operation for pacification and stabilisation of eastern DR Congo and the Great Lakes region," the communique read.

The four leaders, the communique added, also reviewed the "security situation" within the Great Lakes region.

"The four countries reviewed the security situation in the Great Lakes region and recalled the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement of February 2013, which affirms the security concerns of the countries of the Great Lakes region. In this regard, they reaffirmed their willingness to combine efforts to eradicate the armed groups operating in the Great Lakes region," the communique read.

During the meeting, the leaders also strongly ‘condemned' insurgent forces within the region.

The four presidents also reaffirmed their determination to consolidate co-operation and joint exploration of economic opportunities, especially the facilitation of cross-border trade and infrastructure development in order to foster regional integration and consolidation of peace and security within the region.

The Wednesday meeting comes after about eight months since Museveni and Kagame held a one day quadripartite summit at no-man's land near Katuna border in February this year.

The border meeting was also attended by Lourenco and Tshisekedi.

Since Rwanda closed its border last February, there have been a series of negotiations between Kampala and Kigali to at least open the border to allow local trade to flourish.

Following the closure, Ugandan motorists were blocked from entering Rwanda through Katuna border in Kabale district, Cyanika in Kisoro district and Kamwezi border in Rukiga.

Kigali initially attributed the closure of the border to construction works but later acknowledged that it was a result of diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

In August last year, Museveni and Kagame signed an agreement in the Angolan capital, Luanda, agreeing to end months of diplomatic and trade tensions.

The two leaders also agreed to release prisoners, refrain from ‘destabilising' each other, protect citizens' human rights, set up an ad hoc team to guide talks, and to meet again tomorrow at Katuna border.

During the August summit in Luanda, Museveni and Kagame also agreed to take steps to ease tensions that resulted in Rwanda's closure of its border.

To propel the talks, an ad hoc commission was set up comprising of foreign ministers of both countries and others from DR Congo and Angola to lead the talks. The adhoc commission has since held about three meetings, one in Kampala and two in Kigali, where matters regarding cross border ties have been extensively discussed.

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the talks had taken a silent mode. However, on Wednesday, the leaders held a virtual conference, which international relations experts, say is a gesture of the rejuvenation of the talks.

According to the communique, the leaders also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and its related challenges.

"The Heads of State deplored the harmful effects of the coronavirus disease, particularly the loss of human lives recorded in the region and globally as well as its negative impact on economies.