The second meeting of the Adhoc Commission on Luanda MoU between Uganda and Rwanda resumes Friday (today) at Speke Resort Munyonyo, government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said Thursday evening.
The talks scheduled for November were deferred at the request of Rwandan President Paul Kagame to a date that would be announced.
“Uganda and Rwanda will tomorrow hold a follow-up meeting at Speke Resort Munyonyo to the one held in Kigali in September to concretize the issues in the Memorandum of Understanding signed in Luanda, Angola in Aug 2019,” said Mr Opondo on twitter.
The adhoc commission seeks to resolve tensions between the two East African nations which escalated in February with Rwanda closing its border post- Gatuna denying Cargo trucks from Uganda entry.
Whereas the Kagame administration defended the closure as advancing repairs on the border post, it later turned out as a well calculated move to curtail movement of Rwandans crossing into Uganda.
Kigali ministers would later warn the citizens openly against crossing the border to seek any services be it medical from the neighbours.
Some who defied the orders were shot dead or sustained grave injuries.
Rwanda’s leadership continues to accuse Uganda of incarcerating its innocent citizens, an allegation Kampala has vehemently denied.
In the first meeting in Kigali, Ugandan delegation asked Rwanda to provide a list of names of the detainees believed to be languishing in Kampala’s prisons, which Kigali is yet to deliver.
Addressing the media last month, President Paul Kagame blamed Kampala for delaying the talks saying Rwanda was ready to continue but Uganda wasn’t forthcoming on the next meeting.
“All I can say is that it’s a matter that can be resolved. That must be resolved. Because the alternative is not something that we should even be thinking about, or entertaining…” Kagame said.
In July this year, presidents of Rwanda and Uganda pledged at a summit in Angola to seek to resolve tensions that have erupted between their two countries in recent months.
The two Presidents once very close associates have in the recent past traded accusations and counter accusations of espionage on each other’s territory with Kagame threatening his counterpart of “paying a high price.”
However, the battle- hardened UPDF General has instead chosen silence saying there are suitable channels where Uganda- Rwanda matters can be discussed.
