Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni met his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame on Friday at the border between the two countries to try and end the standoff between the two nations.
The two leaders signed an extradition treaty to allow the exchange of wanted criminals.
According to a joint communique, it was agreed that the terms and conditions for the opening of the border are largely hinged on Uganda meeting Rwanda’s demands, relating to any subversive elements, hostile to Kigali.
“My sympathies go out to the citizens of Uganda and Rwanda that have been affected by the closure of the Katuna border,” Museveni said.
He added, “I call upon you to be patient as we pursue a lasting solution. I am very optimistic that with the independent facilitators from Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the truth will come out because the NRM government stands for the truth.”
Angola’s President João Lourenço and Félix Tshisekedi of Democratic Republic of Congo are also present to help broker the deal.
The meeting comes after the government of Rwanda released 20 Ugandan nationals who completed their sentences on various charges including illegal crossing into the country.
This week, Uganda also released 13 Rwandans who had been in detention on charges of espionage and other security related offences.
