ADVERTISEMENT

Museveni Writes to Kagame on Rwandan Agents Operating in Uganda

Museveni Writes to Kagame on Rwandan Agents Operating in Uganda

(Bloomberg) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni wrote to his Rwandan counterpart, criticizing Kigali for its agents attempting to operate in his homeland without the consent of Kampala authorities.

It is “wrong” for “Rwanda agents to try to operate behind the government of Uganda,” Museveni said a letter to Paul Kagame, a copy of which was published in state-owned New Vision newspaper. It is the first time communication between the leaders is made public, since Rwanda unilaterally decided to close its busiest border with Uganda in February, disrupting trade.

Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Sezibera earlier told reporters that Uganda was supporting rebels seeking to destabilize their country, and advised Rwandans against traveling to their neighbor to the north for fear of arrest.

Museveni said he rejected a request by a woman who was brought to him to ask Uganda to support a Rwandan rebel group she is part of. The woman told Museveni that Rwandan agents had killed her husband, according to the letter.

Separately, the National Liberation Front, a Rwandan rebel group, said it attacked from the northern part of the country over the weekend, the British Broadcasting Corp.’s Kinyarwanda service reported, citing its spokesman.

The Rwandan army’s spokesman, Innocent Munyengango, said he has no comment on the attack when contacted.

To contact the reporters on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net;Saul Butera in Kigali at sbutera2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, David Malingha, Ana Monteiro

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.