Amb. Adonia Ayebare(L) and President Paul Kagame
Today President Paul Kagame received Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Adonia Ayebare.
According to a statement from Rwanda Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ayebare delivered a special message to President Kagame from his Ugandan counterpart, President Museveni.
“Thank you Paul Kagame for warmly receiving me at Urugwiro Village today to deliver Kaguta Museveni’s special message,” Ayebare said.
It’s the second time the ambassador has brought such message from President Museveni to President Kagame. The last one was in two years ago – December 2019.
There has been a standoff between Rwanda and Uganda for the best part of five years. Rwanda accuses Uganda of a number of attempts to destabilise the country which include allegedly arming terrorist groups to attack Rwanda from neighboring countries, preliminarily from Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kivu region.
There have been several talks with both countries sending delegations to one another and face to face meeting with the two heads of state.
There has also been mediation by Angolan President João Lourenço and President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC. The mediation resulted in a memorandum of understanding signed by the two presidents at Gatuna/Katuna border in February 2020 in which Uganda agreed to resolve Rwanda’s grievances.
But, Rwanda says that Uganda has ignored the agreement and continues to arm the armed groups and to illegally detain Rwandans living and working in Uganda.
Hundreds of Rwandans have been detained in this way and many say, they have been subjected to torture, with a number dying as result of ill treatment.
Those who are released are often dumped at Rwanda-Uganda border needing hospitalization.
Rwanda has always maintained that they are ready to engage in any discussions to resolve all issues whenever Uganda wished. Might it now seem that that moment has come?
