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Museveni, Kagame exchanged letters

Trucks stuck at the Katuna boarder following its closure by Rwanda.

President Kagame also raised concerns that while Uganda had agreed to extend an electricity transmission line to Rwanda to allow it purchase electricity from Kenya, Uganda had constructed the line only up to somewhere between Mbarara and Masaka.

The other concern was that Ugandan migration officers were harassing Ugandan Rwandans trying to go through migration. Apparently, the migration officers were in the habit of confiscating passports of Ugandan Rwandans claiming that they had obtained the same illegally and were Rwandans purporting to be Ugandans. He also raised the issue of alleged arrest of Rwandans in Uganda and their torture by CMI.

Another concern was that Uganda continued to host people sponsoring terrorism activities against Rwanda. In particular, President Kagame pointed out businessman Tribert Rujugiro.

Kagame said Rujugiro was financing the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), which he said was allied to FDLR, an outfit responsible for terrorism in Rwanda.

Also, Kagame wrote, there were people who had been recruited in Uganda to join anti-Rwandan activities in DR Congo. They were arrested on their way from Uganda to Tanzania, where they intended to cross to Burundi and then into DR Congo. They found that the person who was trying to smuggle them was from Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). Ugandan police arrested them and they were taken to court and charged with terrorism but later released.

He also noted that there was a son of the former Justice Patrick Tabaro, and another man called Ruvuma, who are involved in activities of helping people linked to Kayumba Nyamwasa’s RNC recruit from Uganda. He also raised an issue that there was another man called Rwigyema and another called Mukombozi who are also key points people for Kayumba Nyamwasa’s people in recruiting rebels to go to DR Congo.

More than anything, accusations that Kampala is supporting elements seeking to cause regime change in Kigali and vice versa have been at the centre of the tensions between the two countries.

Museveni replies

In his reply, Museveni responded issue by issue. On the issue of Rwanda Airways, Museveni said that Kagame should have raised this issue with him. He reminded him that he had earlier on told him that he should have raised this with him.

Museveni added that when Kagame raised this concern at a meeting in Addis Ababa, he promised to get back to him after consulting with the officials at the Uganda Civil Aviation authority (CAA). Museveni explained that when he talked to the CAA people, they said that since Uganda was in the process of starting its own airline granting Rwanda these rights would disadvantage Uganda.

The better option for us, Museveni noted, is discussing how we can cooperate with Rwanda Air or merging Rwanda Air and Uganda Airlines or since East Africa is very small, we should start East African Airways.

On electricity, Museveni said there was no attempt to sabotage Rwanda. The problem, he said, was stemming from compensation issues. To further make his point, he said many projects have been delayed or stalled by these compensation issues. These were now being resolved and the line would be extended to Rwanda.

On the issue of Ugandan Rwandans, Museveni said that as a Pan Africanist, he did not think that Rwandan Ugandans should be disturbed. If Ugandan immigration officers were doing it, Museveni added, that is a wrong thing. However, he asked, if the people harassed are Ugandan and not Rwandan citizens, why was Kagame bothered? This, he said, was a sovereign matter of Uganda.

On Rujugiro, Museveni said he did not know Rujugiro when Kagame told him about him. However, Museveni added that he later remembered that Rujugiro had come to Rwakitura and talked to him at the time RPF was involved in the struggle to capture power.

First of all, Museveni added, he had told Kagame that it was not good to mix politics with business. If he disagreed with a person politically, he should not attack his businesses. But if he is involved in financing terrorism, give us the evidence and we reconsider our position, Museveni wrote.

However, Museveni added that he had personally invited Rujugiro and told him about the situation. Museveni explained that when he told him, first, Rujugiro denied being involved in financing terrorism. Rujugiro also denied being in contact with either Kayumba or Theogene Rudasingwa of RNC.

However, Museveni added that Rujugiro admitted that his only friend was David Himbara; a former presidential principal private secretary turned critic of Kagame. Rujugiro said he would never abandon his friend simply because Kagame disapproves.

6 comments

  1. Very good article although a little leaning towards Ugandan position, let’s hope both leaders come to their senses and find common ground, if they was a conflit everyone would lose .

  2. “The EAC Secretary General Libérat Mfumukeko has not taken any initiative partly because, some say, his home country, Tanzania, might fear to antagonise Rwanda and Uganda for business reasons.” wrong fact Haggai, correct it quickly………….it goes on to say that your conclusion is equally erroneous because of the premise it is based on.

  3. ” The EAC Secretary General Libérat Mfumukeko has not taken any initiative partly because, some say, his home country, Tanzania, might fear to antagonise Rwanda and Uganda for business reasons.” this is a WRONG FACT Haggai and so must be a conclusion based on such a premise. The SG is a Burundian.

  4. “We are happy for Rwanda. This new addition by RwandAir should inspire all of us in the travel industry. When Rwandans are wealthy we are also wealthy because they always choose Uganda as their best destination to spend money,” he said.
    This was said by Amos Wekesa at Entebbe on 26 Sept 2016 as they were giving the Rwandair Airbus a water salute because it landed at Entebbe before even reaching home. This and many other uncountable examples is proof that Ugandans and Rwandans are brothers who have no reason to quarrel…….unless a third party comes in to stir them up using insider proxies. They should be cursed forthwith.

  5. the two presidents should differentiate between politics and business instead of integrating them more so president KAGAME (this is because the local people are most likely to suffer than presidents)

  6. Kagame letter and museven letter all this I read it 1 what I have seen from kagame is that he thinks that Uganda is not going to supple him with the power since the power have delayed 2 kagame have dreamed in his bad my one day that he have enemy coming to turn his power as Uganda is the nouber maybe is the one 3 and last but not the list if kagame is talking about harassment in BODA is it okay to him as a good leader that all the bodas if people a crossing they should move free and fear without asking them that who a u ? and were a u coming from? is it okay to u ? 4 closing a international BODA is it okay to u ? Kagame according to me museven reply to letter to u is not bad he is remanding even u for what they have discuss before with u thanks

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