Uganda’s Land Forces Commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba Arrives In Rwanda Ahead Of Meeting With Paul Kagame

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By Uganda Online Media

President Yoweri Museveni has appointed Maj Tom Magambo who has been in the Internal Security Organisations(ISO) as the new police Criminal Investigations Director.

“President Museveni has promoted Private Tom Magambo to the rank of Major and appointed him Director Criminal Investigations of the Uganda Police Force,” the acting UPDF spokesperson, Lt Col Ronald Kakurungu said in a statement.

Kigali: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s son Muhoozi Kainerugaba who doubles as Uganda’s Land Forces Commander has arrived in Rwanda’s capital Kigali on a mission to restore the bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.

On arrival, Muhoozi was received by among others Brig-Gen Willy Rwagasana, the Commandant of Republican Guard and Ministry of Defence, Government of Rwanda Spokesperson Col Ronald Rwivanga.

According to sources, Gen Muhoozi is meeting Paul Kagame as Museveni’s Senior Advisor in charge of Special Operations.


Muhoozi and Kagame will thereafter consider plans to appoint focal persons to take the lead in negotiations to resolve outstanding challenges.

It’s worth noting that last week Museveni sent Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative at United Nations to deliver his special message to his counterpart Paul Kagame which was later ‘watered down’ by Rwanda’s government spokesperson Yolande Makolo saying Uganda needs to do more actions than just sending special messages.

In her message, Makolo insisted that despite the ongoing peace talks and envoy visits, Uganda is responsible for the harassment and torture of innocent Rwandans in Uganda which she said has continued despite the efforts by the two governments to settle the ongoing conflicts.

”Good to see talks continue at all levels, but meetings & envoy visits have not led to tangible results on Uganda’s part. Still, no accountability for terrorist elements operating against Rwanda inside Uganda, and harassment of innocent Rwandans continues” Yolande wrote on Twitter.

Tensions between the two countries began in 2018 after the two presidents began exchanging accusations of sabotage, and Rwanda sealed its border with Uganda, halting trade and issuing a travel advisory.

In August 2019, Kagame and Museveni met in Luanda, Angola to sign a memorandum of understanding meant to end their standoff and repair relations.

The brinkmanship between Rwanda and Uganda has already taken an economic toll. The Ugandan Ministry of Trade recorded millions of dollars in losses, resulting from the border closure, and accused the Rwandan government of effectively imposing a trade embargo.

The current showdown may be the worst in years. In addition to the border closure, Museveni and Kagame have taken to jousting in highly public arenas. It all began in February 2019, when Ugandan authorities claimed that “external forces” were plotting to overthrow Museveni, and seemed to point a finger at Rwanda. Rwandan diplomats in turn asserted that Uganda had detained, tortured, and illegally deported Rwandan citizens and sheltered dissidents.

In March 2020, Kagame used an annual leadership retreat in Rwanda to lob his own incendiary allegations against Museveni, claiming that he has been trying to topple him for the past two decades and declared, “No one can bring me to my knees.”

Not to be outdone, Museveni responded. “Those who want to destabilize our country do not know our capacity,” he said while commissioning factories outside of Kampala. “Once we mobilize, you can’t survive.” Months later, in July 2019, police in Uganda arrested 40 Rwandans living in the country. The intelligence services cited unspecified security concerns.

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