The presidents of Rwanda and Uganda recently signed an agreement in Angola to end months of tensions emanating from accusations of spying, political assassinations and meddling in each other’s internal affairs.
It is a story of love turned sour. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni, head of state of Uganda were once upon a time, close allies. But their relationship has turned hostile in a dispute that disrupted the trade between the neighbors.
The peace accord signed in the Angolan capital Luanda, was in the presence of Joao Lourenco, President of Angola, Felix Tshisekedi, President of Democratic Republic of Congo and Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Congo. Kagame said that he would not foresee any problem in working with President Museveni to address the problems that have cropped up, while his counterpart in Angola hailed the agreement saying that it reflected the two presidents’ willingness to overcome conflict. Trade has been severely disrupted recently upon Rwanda abruptly closing the border with its northern neighbor, which served as a major economic land route. Earlier, the Ugandan police accused Rwandan soldiers of entering their country and killing two men. This drew an angry denial from the Rwandan President. The row between the two leaders could have threatened economic integration and regional stability, which the two leaders have been advocating for quite some time. It may be noted that the territory is a conflict-prone area of the continent with problems recurring every now and then. Rwanda also publicly accused Uganda of abducting its citizens and supporting rebels bent on overthrowing the government. Museveni admitted meeting the rebels but said that he did not endorse anti-Kagame rebel. In the same vein, Ugandans have alleged that Rwandans in Uganda of spying. This has led to Ugandans arresting and deporting them to Rwanda. The moot point is whether this peace accord would last for long. Rwanda and Uganda being votaries of free trade and both countries have a huge stake in opening up the trade, it is in their own interest that the truce becomes sustainable.
