Museveni and Paul Kagame of Rwanda have agreed to continue dialoguing in a bid to find a lasting solution to whatever differences exist between their countries.
The two presidents were part of a quadripartite summit held yesterday (Friday) in Luanda, Angola, attended by host President, Joao Manuel Lourenco and DR Congo leader Felix Tshisekedi.
In a brief opening address before the leaders went into a closed-door session, President Lourenco said the summit was a follow-up to a tripartite one held on May 31st in Kinshasa, among DR Congo, Rwanda and Angola.
“That summit was about security issues particularly on the borders of the three countries. We then agreed that another meeting be held in Luanda, Angola and also agreed to invite President Museveni to join the summit,” said President Lourenco.
According to a statement from State House, Lourenco added that whereas the original agenda was to discuss the security issues on the borders of the three countries, it had been expanded to include relations between Uganda and Rwanda.
Later, at the end of the summit, in a communiqué read by Angola’s External Affairs Minister, Manuel Domingos, it was indicated that “As far as relations between Rwanda and Uganda are concerned, the summit welcomed the willingness of the two parties to continue dialogue with a view to finding a solution to the existing problem.”
Uganda and Rwanda have for long teetered on the verge of war over alleged espionage and support for rival armed movements operating in DRC.
The meeting came after Rwanda and DRC conducted military operations in South Kivu, capturing leaders of a Rwandan rebel movement.
Rwanda maintains Uganda backs rebels seeking to oust Kagame, a claim Kampala denies.
Kampala accuses Kigali of espionage, harassment and killing Rwandans refugees living in Uganda and engaging in activities that threaten Uganda’s national security.
The heads of state also announced that Angola with the support of the DR Congo had been assigned the task of facilitating this process.
Also agreed upon in Luanda by the heads of state was to support the DR Congo deal with the outbreak of Ebola and commit to work together to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
The heads of state also commended the DR Congo for its efforts to pacify its entire national territory, but condemned the persistence of armed groups in the east of the country.
The presidents also congratulated themselves on the outcomes of the recent African Union Heads of State Summit in Niamey, Niger, which launched the operational phase of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa and the Charge D’Affaires at the Ugandan embassy in DR Congo, which also covers Angola, Julius Chihandae, attended the meeting.
Source: Chimpreports
