James Tasamba
21 August 2019•Update: 22 August 2019
KIGALI, Rwanda
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Wednesday, aimed at ending tensions between the two countries and resuming cross-border activities.
Relations between the two countries soured in recent months following accusations and counter accusations of espionage and political meddling.
At the height of the tensions, Rwanda earlier this year abruptly blocked cargo trucks from Uganda from entering its territory at their common border at Gatuna, saying it was due to construction works at the border.
Rwanda also stopped its citizens from crossing to Uganda over allegations of arbitrary detentions of Rwandans and torture in Uganda, the claims Kampala denies.
The signing of the MoU in the Angolan capital Luanda followed a quadripartite summit between Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda which was held on July 12.
“The parties undertake to resume as soon as possible the cross-border activities between both countries including the movement of persons and goods, for the development and improvement of the lives of their populations,” the MoU read.
The parties also committed to promote the spirit of pan-Africanism and regional integration, comprehensive cooperation in the fields of politics, security, defense, trade and cultural exchange, investment based on complementarity and synergies.
They also committed to “refrain from actions conducive to destabilization or subversion in the territory of the other party and neighboring countries thereby eliminating all factors that may create such perception as well as that of acts such as financing, training, and infiltration of destabilizing forces.”
The signing was witnessed by Presidents Joao Lourenco of Angola and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
