Uganda – Rwanda border Re-opens on 31st/January/2022
Uganda – Rwanda border Re-opens on 31st/January/2022 : The announcement came as an official communication from the Rwandan authorities on the January Friday 28th 2022, after a period of quiet diplomacy during which Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni dispatched envoys including his son, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to negotiate with his Rwandan president – Paul Kagame. Lt. Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba is the senior presidential Advisor on special operations and commander of Land Forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) and on the January 22nd 2021, negotiations happened which must have yield positive results for both countries as the borders will be re-opened starting the January 31st 2022.
The Government of Rwanda has accepted to re-open the border with Uganda, ending nearly two years of a standoff that appeared to hurt both countries’ economies and raised fears of armed hostilities even with subsequent talks mediated by Angola and Congo appeared to fail to resolve the dispute, compelling Uganda to negotiate privately with Rwanda. Earlier this week President Museveni made key changes to his security apparatus, removing the chief of military intelligence who had been persistently criticized by Rwanda. That move appears to have placated Rwanda.
Rwanda first closed the busy border crossing at Gatuna 2020 in line with the communique of the 4th Quadripartite summit held at the Gatuna/ Katuna border on the 21st February 2022, The Rwanda Government accepted to re-open the border from the 31st January 2022.
Rwanda’s government says the border will officially reopen Monday. Its statement said it remained committed to the efforts to resolve pending issues and believes the announcement “will contribute positively to the speedy normalization of relations between the two countries.”
In case of other land border posts, health authorities of Rwanda and Uganda will work together to put in place necessary measures to facilitate movement in the context of COVID 19. The Governments of both countries remain committed to the ongoing efforts to resolve pending issues.
Below are some of the reasons thought to have been reason for closure
The development will bring cheers in both Rwanda and Uganda after years of suffering for businesses that lost markets and other opportunities. Uganda, denied a major market for its exports, appeared to lose more at the height of what it called an effective trade embargo. Inside Rwanda the Katuna border closure eventually fueled a rise in the prices of dried foods.
Rwanda’s government also had ordered its citizens not to travel to Uganda, claiming that Rwandan citizens were not safe across the border. It accused Ugandan authorities of backing rebels opposed to Kagame and demanded the expulsion from Uganda of the business interests of a Rwandan tycoon who is critical of Kagame. But Ugandan officials made a counter-charge accusing Rwandan state agents of operating unlawfully in Uganda, including in the alleged abductions of Rwandan citizens wanted back home.
Tensions between Rwanda and Uganda raised fears of possible armed conflict as Kagame and Museveni made threatening remarks at public events. After Museveni warned that “those who try to destabilize our country do not know our capacity,” Kagame countered that “nobody anywhere can bring me to my knees.”
In the 1990s the armies of Uganda and Rwanda went to war in eastern Congo when they backed rival rebel groups. Many parts of eastern Congo remain lawless, with armed groups still operating there. Some analysts have been concerned any tensions between Uganda and Rwanda could lead to a proxy conflict in eastern Congo.
Kagame and Museveni, authoritarian leaders who have ruled their countries for many years, have increasingly disagreed in recent years as Kagame, once an intelligence lieutenant for Museveni, asserts his authority at home and in the region.
