Presidents Jakaya Kikwete (L), Paul Kagame (behind Kikwete) and Museveni in Kampala yesterday for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA
Kampala- Five presidents yesterday spent the whole day meeting at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo trying to defuse political tensions that are threatening regional security.
A two-page communique was read out to the press after the close of the day-long business. However, no official reference was made to the diplomatic spat between Rwanda and Tanzania resulting from comments made by President Jakaya Kikwete during an African Union meeting in May.
There was also no official comment on the recent mass expulsion of suspected ethnic Rwandese from northwestern Tanzania.
Instead, the leaders yesterday ordered the resumption of talks between Congo’s M23 rebels and the Kinshasa government, which dialogue had stalled after renewed fighting broke out in eastern DR Congo.
The talks, according to the joint communiqué released late in the evening, also directed fresh dialogue must be concluded within 14 days.
“... The Kampala dialogue should resume within three days after this extraordinary summit and conclude within a maximum 14 days during which maximum restraint must be exercised on the ground to allow for talks to conclude. The chairman (President Museveni) must keep in touch with his colleagues on the progress of the dialogue,” the communique said.
The UN Special Representative on the Great Lakes Region, Ms Mary Robison, said all neighboruing countries must respect the territorial integrity of DR Congo.
President Museveni had arrived at the venue first, followed by South Sudan’s Salva Kiir, DR Congo’s Joseph Kabila. Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete came in last.
Intelligence report
They held closed meetings as foreign and defence ministers also met separately and discussed a report compiled by the regional military and intelligence bosses on the renewed fighting between M23 rebels and Kinshasa government.
On Wednesday, the regional intelligence and military bosses could not finish their meeting in time to present a report to the ministers of defence and foreign affairs on Wednesday. This forced the ministers to postpone their meeting to yesterday.
Although it was an International Conference on the Great Lakes Region summit, whose membership is composed of 11 states from east and central Africa, the attendance was majorly of members of the East African Community.
It was the first time Mr Kagame and Mr Kikwete were meeting in the same room following a diplomatic row between Tanzania and Rwanda.
The row does not only present a big security risk to the region, but also threatens efforts aimed at east African economic and political integration.
Trouble started after President Kikwete, in May, advised Uganda and Rwanda to negotiate with rebel groups operating and training in DR Congo with an intention to attack their respective countries.
But in response, an angry President Kagame questioned why President Kikwete was “siding” with FDLR, a rebel group, whose membership is reportedly dominated by suspected Hutu genocidaires opposed to Kigali government. The two leaders had lunch together and posed for a group photo for the first time in a long time.
After lunch, Presidents Kagame and Museveni walked out of the conference together and had to wait for Mr Kikwete for about three minutes before the group photo was taken.
Closed meeting
After sharing lunch and taking the group photo, the presidents resumed their closed meeting. The meeting was also attended by the chairperson of the African Union, Ms Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
The closed meeting went on up to 6.30pm before the leaders were then joined by the ministers, intelligence and military chiefs.
As a result of this row, accusations and counter-accusations between the two countries, Tanzania seemed to have distanced itself from the several EAC meetings attended by presidents Museveni, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Kagame, sparking speculations that the efforts to have the region integrate are jeopardy.Sources close to ICGLR say the reason why Tanzania and Rwanda have fallen out is not because of Mr Kikwete’s remarks. They say after a decision was made to have a UN intervention force commanded by Tanzania deployed to fight the M23, Rwanda became uncomfortable because there had been reports that Tanzania was getting close to FDLR.
Other sources allege that a senior FDLR commander met top Tanzanian military officers. This commander, purported to be Gen. Stanislas Bigaruka, the alleged second-in-command in the FDLR, is believed to have later been kidnapped in Dar es Salaam by operatives suspected to be from Rwanda.
The renewed fighting between the M23 rebels and the Kinshasa government was the main issue on the agenda, but discussing the beefing between Kigali and Tanzania was also discussed.
As the regional leaders met, the M23 peace delegation was making demands to have International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) summit should “prevail over” the Congolese President, Joseph Kabila to stop attacks against their positions.
Agreed
“In December, we agreed to withdraw from Goma in order to talk peace but Kabila is using our withdrawal as an opportunity to reorganise his forces and bomb our position,” Rene Abandi, the leader of the delegation said.
Roger Lumbala, the deputy leader of the delegation, and also president of the opposition Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationals, told the Daily Monitor on Wednesday that they believe in negotiations but accused President Kabila of being disinterested in a stable eastern Congo.
“There is a big difference between political dialogue and political consultation. Kabila is doing political consultation,” Lumbala said.
Regional leaders meeting in Kampala ask DR Congo president to resume talks with M23 rebels. Summit, however, is silent on Rwanda-Congo friction.
Recommendations
-Strongly condemned the recent bombings in Munigi and Goma, DRC by the M23 rebels that resulted into the death of a senior UN officer attached to the UN intervention Brigade.
- Condemned the recent bombings from DRC that resulted into death of civilians in Rwanda.
- Directed resumption of talks in Kampala
- M23 must put an end to all military activities
-Continue exerting pressure on M23 and all other negative forces in eastern Congo to ensure they stop war.
-Accepted request by the UN to have a permanent representation on the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism
President Jakaya Kikwete address in Ethiopia:(May 26, AU summit in Addis Ababa)
“ADF is attacking Uganda and FDRL is doing the same to Rwanda so efforts should be made to end such attacks. Talks should be held between governments and rebels hiding in the DRC where they launch attacks against their countries of origin. Military operations against the rebels will not yield fruit.”
Rwanda minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo (Interview with RFI, May 27)
“Those who think that Rwanda today should sit down at the negotiating table with FDLR simply don’t know what they are talking about … There are many spokespeople for the FDLR. Some are ideologically aligned to the FDLR. We stopped the genocide but we didn’t stop the ideology.”
President Paul Kagame address at Youth Connect Dialogue (Kigali, June 30)
“It’s like those you hear who claim that we should negotiate with Interahamwe and FDLR. Negotiate with them! I won’t even discuss it, because I will just wait for you at the right place and I will hit you... I really didn’t even respond to those claims. No, I didn’t even try. But that’s just common sense; everybody knows that there is a line you can’t cross, not ever.”
President Jakaya Kikwete address to the nation. (August 2)
“I have been shocked and dismayed at the verbal attack and criticism levelled against me by Rwandan officials. What they are doing and saying does not reflect the true position …. (it is) completely out of proportion and out of context.”
“It is not because I do not know how to speak or that I do not have anything to say. I haven’t done so because I do not see its benefit. I want to assure my fellow Tanzanians and our Rwandan friends that I, my government and the people of Tanzania want to have good relations and close cooperation with Rwanda as we have with all our neighbours.”
rkasasira@ug.nationmedia.com
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