Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, has written to his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame Your Excellency Paul Kagame, dragging MP Bobi Wine in the Kampala-Kigali row.
Kigali and Kampala have for weeks been entangled in a row, with both governments accusing each other of harboring and or supporting dissidents, arrest and torture on Rwandan nationals.
A cold war ensued after Rwanda close some of the border points with Uganda.
Museveni said Uganda’s enemies would not survive once “we mobilise”.
Kagame responded saying he had tried all options aimed at resolving the bad blood between Kampala and Kigali in vain, and Museveni would not “bring me to my knees”.
Museveni on Rwandan National Congress (RNC) Ties
In a March 10 letter published by government daily, The New Vision, on Tuesday, Museveni said he had accidentally held a meeting with Charlotte Mukankusi.
According to Museveni, Mukankusi wanted help for opposition group Rwandan National Congress (RNC) led by Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa.
Museveni further adds that in a meeting with Mukankusi, and a one Gasana, the former accused Rwanda state agents, Nziiza and Munyuza, of killing her husbanda, Rutagarama.
Maj Gen Jack Nziiza is a former inspector of the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) while Dan Munyuza is a former head of operations for Rwanda Police.
The president says Mukankusi had openly told her she was supporting RNC to end the “bad things” happening in Kigali.
In the letter, Museveni tells Kagame he told his guests that the issues raised were an internal matter that should be handled by Rwanda.
Bobi Wine’s Jackie Wolfson
Presidents Museveni, Kagame and MP Bobi Wine
In his letter, Museveni somehow drags Jackie Wolfson, the leader of charity organisation Shule Foundation, who Kampala reportedly linked to new kid on the political block Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine.
Museveni told Kagame that Gasana had denied links with the RNC, but told the president of his links to “a white lady, Wolfson, who we had declared persona-non-grata, to come back and continue with her charity work”.
Gasana told Museveni he “works with the Jewish Agency and, apparently, they are the ones who support Wolfson”.
Rujugiro
Museveni has also told Kagame that he met businessman Tribert Ayabatwa Rujugiro.
According to the president, Rujugiro denied supporting RNC and Nyamwasa.
He also made a u-turn on selling his businesses in Uganda.
But Museveni has proposed the idea of freezing Rujugiro’s assets.
Here is Museveni’s Letter to Kagame
Greetings from the people of Uganda and from myself. I am writing to let you know that by accident, I, at last, had a meeting with a Rwandan who admitted to being a member of the group you told me about — Rwanda National Congress (RNC). This is a lady known as Mukankusi, whom, I am sure you know, but I had never met before.
One of my National Resistance Movement (NRM) contacts kept telling me that there was a Rwandan lady who had some important information to give me and that she wanted to come with somebody known as Gasana, who also had important information.
When I heard of Gasana, I thought that it was the Gasana who was behind me at Ntare and who, for a long time, had worked in the foreign affairs ministry of Uganda. When they came a few days ago, I discovered that Gasana was a completely different person. I think I had seen this gentleman once when the delegation of the Security Council had visited Uganda some years ago.
I then asked them what they wanted to tell me. Mukankusi told me that her husband, Rutagarama, had been killed by the agents of the Rwanda State. She mentioned Nziiza, Munyuza, etc. How had she confirmed this? That she had been told by those very people. I then asked her what she wanted me to do about it because this is an internal matter of Rwanda.
She said she wanted me to know bad things that were happening in Rwanda. She further told me that she had joined the RNC to resist Your Excellency’s Government and she wanted us to support them.
I told her that we could not support them because what was happening in Rwanda was an internal matter of Rwanda. I explained to her that the stand of the African Union is a scientific one and it is correct. Interfering in the internal affairs of sister countries is wrong because, first of all, outsiders cannot understand situations of sister countries well.
They can make mistakes. Secondly, those mutual interferences in one another’s internal affairs will interfere with the bigger normal, non-controversial, State to State activities — trade, transport, etc.
It is, therefore, correct to only concentrate on bilateral or multilateral issues and never involve oneself in the internal affairs of other countries. She was disappointed with my reply and I told her that I will inform you in writing.
Gasana, on the other hand, said that he was not involved with the RNC, but that he came to help a white lady, Wolfson, who we had declared persona-non-grata, to come back and continue with her charity work.
Some of our (people in the) diaspora had worked on it with him. He told me that he works with the Jewish Agency and, apparently, they are the ones who support Wolfson.
Mr. Rujugiro also came, separately. He seems to be resisting the idea of selling his businesses, which he had accepted (to do) before. He countered the idea of giving money to Kayumba by saying that even if he sells the factories in Uganda, he still has more lucrative factories in Angola, DR Congo, etc., a total of eight of them. He can send money from those.
He denied sending money to Kayumba or being a politician. He said that he had only supported RPF at the late Rwigyema’s request and your request.
If, therefore, he is still a problem to Rwanda, the correct option is to use the Courts of Uganda to prove the case of terrorism and then his assets can be frozen. You did not respond to my letter of October 15, 2018, which contained that proposal.
All these people left Uganda after only a few days. This was to inform you of these encounters. As I told you when we met, there is no question of Uganda supporting anti-Rwanda elements.
Indeed, I have not heard Rwanda saying that Uganda “supports” these elements. What I heard and what you told me when we met was that some of these elements were “operating” from or “in’’ Uganda to recruit, etc. It is this aspect that the joint teams should work on.
I invited Ambassador Mugambagye and I linked him with our people and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This is easy to follow up. What is wrong is for Rwanda agents to try to operate behind the Government of Uganda. I get a lot of stories; but I will never raise them unless I have confirmed them.
