Feuding Kagame, Kikwete come face-to-face in Kampala

By RISDEL KASASIRA | Thursday, September 5  2013 at  20:07

Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete (left) with Uganda's Yoweri Museveni emerging from the Great Lakes regional summit in Kampala on September 5, 2013. Rwanda's President Paul Kagame (in glasses) walks behind them. PHOTO: STEPHEN WANDERA 

Five Presidents Thursday met in Uganda to defuse tension that is threatening security in the Great Lakes region, a meeting that also saw Rwanda's Paul Kagame come face-to-face with Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete for the first time since a bitter row erupted between them.

The leaders held closed meetings in Munyonyo as their foreign and defence ministers also met to discuss a report compiled by regional military and intelligence bosses on the renewed fighting between M23 rebels and the Kinshasa government in eastern DR Congo.

The heads of state ordered the resumption of talks between both sides, which stalled after renewed fighting. The talks, according to the meeting's Joint Communiqué, must be concluded within 14 days.

The summit, called by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, an 11-member bloc of states from east and central Africa, was mainly attended by members of the five-country East African Community.

The row between Kigali and Dar es Salaam which not only presents a big security risk to the region, but also threatens efforts to make the East African Community a success, was also discussed.

The fallout is seen to have started after President Kikwete urged Uganda and Rwanda to negotiate with rebel groups operating and training in the DRC with the intention to attack the two countries.

But in an angry response, President Kagame questioned why President Kikwete was “siding” with theDemocratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FRDL), a rebel group whose membership is reportedly dominated by the suspected genocidaires.

Distanced itself

As a result of this row, Tanzania seemed to have distanced itself from the several EAC meetings attended by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Kagame, sparking speculations that the efforts to have the region integrate are in jeopardy.

The two leaders however had lunch together and paused for a group photo for the first time in several weeks, before the leaders resumed for another closed meeting. It was unclear if Mr Kagame and Mr Kiwkete held bilateral talks.

The meeting was also attended by the UN special envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Ms Mary Robinson and African Union chief Dlamini Nkosazana-Zuma.

Sources close to ICGLR goings-on say the reason why Tanzania and Rwanda have fallen out may not be completely due to Mr Kikwete's controversial remarks.

They intimate that after a decision was made to have an intervention force, commanded by Tanzania, Rwanda became uncomfortable because there had been reports that Tanzania was getting close to FDRL.

The M23 has urged the summit to “prevail over” Congolese President, Joseph Kabila to stop attacks against their positions.

"In December, we agreed to withdraw from Goma in order to talk peace but the Kabila is using our withdrawal as an opportunity to reorganize his forces and bomb our position,” Rene Abandi, the leader of the delegation said.