By Spy Uganda
Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Paul Kagame of Rwanda on Friday afternoon failed to agree upon the modalities of opening the Rwandan borders, although they agreed to sign an extradition treaty.
The extradition treaty was signed by Rwanda’s foreign affairs minister, Vincent Biruta, and his Ugandan counterpart, Sam Kutesa, at Katuna, where the two heads of state had met for peace talks.
The treaty was signed during the fourth quadripartite summit between Head of States and Government of Angola, João Lourenço, Democratic of Republic of Congo, Felix Tsishekedi, Museveni and Kagame, at the Rwanda-Uganda border.
However, signing the treaty means that Rwandan dissidents, especially members of Rwanda National Congress (RNC), involved in anti-Rwanda operations in neighbouring Uganda, could soon face justice in Kigali, because they will be promptly extradited by Ugandan authorities to Rwanda.
Sam Kutesa, signing the treat
The extradition treaty provides the legal framework to handles cases of justice including those related to alleged subversive activities practised by their nationals in the territory of the other party.
The treat is part of the efforts to cool tensions between the two East African Community nations, such that Rwanda can again open her borders to Uganda.
Rwanda has for long asked Uganda to stop its active support of anti-Kigali armed groups and conducting arbitrary arrests and illegal detention of Rwandan nationals, many of who have since been released from detention.
The summit resolved that Uganda will, in the next one month, verify these allegations.
Once proved, Uganda will take all measures possible to address the challenges, according to a statement.
The actions will be confirmed by the Ad-hoc committee for the implementation of Luanda MOU.
Once the recommendations are fulfilled, satisfactorily, a communique about the summit says, a fifth summit will be convened in 15 days (after the one month) for the solemn reopening of the borders and normalisation of ties.
