On Monday morning, President Kagame received Ambassador Adonia Ayebare who was in Kigali to transmit a special message from President Museveni of Uganda.
The envoy’s visit comes six days after Uganda’s Minister of Defence Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja’s visit to Burundi as well as a visit to Tanzania on Monday. Security analysts across the region believe the message President Museveni is sharing with leaders across the region is about the ongoing operations by Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) in the DR Congo against the ADF.
ADF is a terrorist group that has been most active in DR Congo but whose activities have affected the region, including Rwanda where 13 people linked with the group were arrested last October.
Investigations later revealed the group was plotting attacks to revenge the joint Rwanda-Mozambique operations in Cabo Delgado. This terrorist cell was coordinated by a Ugandan ADF member based in DR Congo.
The message delivered by Ambassador Ayebare comes close to two months after the start of the UPDF operations. This delay has raised questions about Uganda’s approach to a threat that would be best solved through regional coordination.
"The ADF problem cuts across the region. This terrorist group has a network that operates in more than four countries. Therefore a sustainable solution can only come from a well-coordinated regional approach, but unfortunately this seems to have been ignored,” said a regional security expert based in Nairobi.
"There are credible reports that UPDF operations in DR Congo has allowed terrorists belonging to groups including FDLR, Rwanda National Congress (RNC), and Urunana, to take advantage of the situation to increase recruiting from refugee camps, with the goal of destabilizing Rwanda. The worry is that UPDF unilateral approach may further destabilize the region,” he added.
Messages but no action
Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda and Ambassador Ayebare tweeted positively about the envoys visit to Rwanda in what seems like a positive step towards normalizing relations.
However, several commentators on social media continue to call for concrete actions.
"Great to see you in Kigali Amb. Ayebare. I have seen you come several times to deliver messages. But Rwandans continue to be mistreated, RNC supporters still find safe refuge in Uganda. When will we move from emissaries to concrete actions to normalize relations,” a tweet by Ignatius Kabagambe reads.
Insider sources maintain that the numerous meetings and trips of envoys have not led to tangible results on the part of Uganda. There has been no accountability for the terrorists elements operating against Rwanda on Uganda’s territory and the harassment of innocent Rwandans continues as shown by the recent deportation of Rwandan citizens.
Twitter hope
On Sunday evening, there was an unexpected tweet from Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Commander of Ugandan Land Forces who tweeted:
"This is my uncle, Afande Paul Kagame. Those who fight him are fighting my family. They should all be careful.”
Kainerugaba is also the first born son of President Museveni.
ChimpReports, widely known as Uganda’s government mouthpiece often used to advocate Uganda's propaganda against Rwanda, reported several negative reactions to the tweet, casting doubt on the likelihood of positive steps forward.
In Rwanda, the tweet was welcomed by commentators across social media as well as various government officials as a positive sign towards improved relations. But the question remains, will words be followed by actions this time.