© AFP – PETER BUSOMOKE
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba (in the center), commander of the Ugandan army and eldest son of Yoweri Museveni was in Kigali where he was received by Paul Kagame. (illustrative image)
Could this be a sign of a warming of relations between Rwanda and Uganda? General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, commander of the Ugandan army and eldest son of Yoweri Museveni was in Kigali where he was received by Paul Kagame. On the menu of the meeting: the complicated relationship between the two neighboring countries, which have accused each other of trying to destabilize for years and whose presidents, once close allies, are at odds.
With our correspondent in Kigali, Laure Broulard
The discussion between Paul Kagame and General Kainerugaba was productive and cordial, according to the Rwandan presidency.
Last week, the son of Yoweri Museveni, whom some already see as the next president of Uganda, made a first gesture by calling Paul Kagame ” my uncle ” on Twitter.
His visit to Rwanda closely follows that of Ugandan diplomat Adonia Ayebare, who once once more took on the role of messenger between Kigali and Kampala last Monday, January 17.
This is an important moment, recognizes a source close to the Rwandan government, who however says he is waiting for concrete measures from Kampala to improve relations between the two countries.
Rwanda has often accused its neighbor of illegally detaining some of its nationals and supporting rebel groups seeking to destabilize it. He has closed its border with Uganda since February 2019. A situation that weighs heavily on border communities.
For the past two years, a regional mediation process has failed to bring former allies closer together. The general’s arrival might therefore mark the will of the two neighbors to settle their differences bilaterally, almost “ with family “, analyzes Onesphore Sematumba of the International Crisis Group, referring to the once very close relations between the circles of power in Rwanda and Uganda.
