Rwanda, Uganda officials to meet on Friday

The Ad Hoc Commission on the Implementation of the Luanda Memorandum of Understanding between Uganda and Rwanda is set to take place in Kigali on Friday, February 14, 2020— in an attempt to mend their strained relations. The meeting that is bringing together ministers and officials from both countries is a follow up on the Luanda MoU signed by both countries in August last year, committing to resolving the poor relations between themselves. The Luanda MoU was inked by President Kagame and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni, and witnessed by the host President João Lourenço, Félix Tshisekedi of DR Congo and Dennis Sassou Nguesso of Congo Brazaville. Under the agreement, Rwanda and Uganda were among other things called upon: to protect and respect the rights and freedoms of nationals of the other party residing or transiting in their national territory, and to refrain from engaging in actions that destabilize the other party (or actions perceived to) such as financing, training and infiltration of destabilizing forces. Rwanda has continuously blamed Uganda for arbitrarily imprisoning and torturing its citizens that are in Uganda’s territory, as well as harbouring anti-Rwandan elements. Speaking about Fridays meeting, Olivier Nduhungirehe the State Minister in Charge of East African Community urged that “The full implementation of our commitments is key to the success of this process.” Since the August 2019 Luanda Agreement, three Quadripartite summits have been held, the latest of which that happened in Angola in February this year resolved that Uganda and Rwanda would release nationals of each country held and lists were submitted to facilitate the objective. The next quadripartite meeting is meant to take place on 21st this month, and it is forerun by the Ad Hoc commission meeting that is taking place today. This will be the third time for the Ad Hoc commission meeting. The previous one was held in Kampala in December last year – though it did not bring about tangible results.

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Rwanda, Uganda officials to meet on Friday