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- Aug 11, 2013
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Plans for the East African Community (EAC) integration might not bear fruit in the near future as the relations between Tanzania and Rwanda continue to deteriorate.
By Giles Muhame 2 hours 5 minutes ago
Kagame (C) and senior army officials at a ceremony in Rwanda Tanzanias decision to expel thousands of Rwandans from the border area of Kagera has since led to a massive exodus of refugees to Rwanda and Uganda.
According to Ugandas Disaster Preparedness Minister, Musa Ecweru, the Rwandan refugees are now living in makeshift camps in South Western Uganda.
Others have since moved as far deep as Rakai with large numbers of cattle, raising fears of possible clashes with Ugandans over land.
Majority of expelled Rwandans, most of whom had spent over five decade in the country, had their property confiscated by Tanzanian officials and their residential documents destroyed.
Observers say the exodus of Rwandans from Tanzania and the souring relations between the two countries has fuelled speculation that the East African integration will never take place under the present leadership in the region.
According to Adbul Nasser, a regular commentator on regional politics, It clear the expulsion of Rwandese in a primitive manner has no excuse to present to defend the action. Like the former East African Community, the present community today remains the property of the leaders of respective countries that make up the community.
He adds: When the leaders differ in views the ordinary citizens have to pay for the price. President Kikwete of Tanzania has shown himself as another ruthless African leader with anger to revenge on the innocent who bear no pressure on the actions advanced by Kigali administration. It is as usual: when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. It will take time before EAC germinates.
Fardson Nuwahereza, a Ugandan, wonders why the region is silent and appears to be supporting Tanzania for their inhuman acts.
Why turn the guns to innocent citizens who have been living peacefully for many years after quarrelling with your equal? Hopefully one day it could be your turn.
According to Ahmed Kateregga, a Ugandan journalist with significant experience in regional politics, Tanzania destroyed the East Africa Community in 1971 and is not a country one can trust.
The community that collapsed in 1977 with a common market and common services has never returned. The hope is a monetary union by end of this year and a political federation by 2015, says Kateregga.
However, from the look of events, hopes of the EAC union with Tanzania appear unworkable.
OBAM TRIP
A few months ago, President Barack Obama visited East Africa where he met Tanzanias leader Jakaya Kikwete. Obama refused to travel to Uganda, a key partner in the war against regional terrorism and whose army has shed blood to liberate the war-torn Somalia.
The US leader further ignored Kenya, saying the countrys leadership still had questions to answer at ICC over its alleged role in the 2007 post-election violence.
Tanzania was acting in a funny way during meeting geared at fast tracking the EAC. They would send an official who would agree with the recommendations of other discussants but at the timing of the signing ceremony, the Tanzanian would refuse to append his signature on the documents saying he/she had to consult or had no mandate to sign, recalls a Ugandan official.
We would wonder why Tanzania kept sending people who could not take decisions on behalf of their country. We want to develop the region which necessitates partnerships. Tanzania which belongs to SADC seemed not to understand the urgency of fast tracking the EAC integration and we decided to let it take its time.
TRIPLE K
Realizing that it would take decades to realise the EAC dream due to Tanzanias sluggish nature, President Museveni swiftly invited his counterparts Paul Kagame and Uhuru Kenyatta for a trilateral conference.
It is from there that it was agreed to move forward in putting in place what analysts described as ambitious infrastructure projects to spur development in the three countries.
And the Presidents were so serious that they formed committees to ensure the projects are hit in a specified period of time.
No wonder, on Monday, Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta managed to secure billions of dollars from China to support the railway line.
We welcome the investment in key sectors of our economy. The rail link, particularly, is important in the context of East Africas shared goal of ensuring quicker movement of peoples, goods and services, Uhuru told China President Xi Jinping on Monday.
This railway line is expected to tremendously lower the cost of doing business in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. It would also facilitate quick and cheap movement of goods from the three countries.
According to Ugandas envoy to Rwanda, Amb. Richard Kabonero, the railway line will pull investors to the region.
The cost of doing business was scaring away investors. Good, fast and cheap transport will transform the economies of the three countries that will be connected by the railway. This is what the region wants to make a step forward in economic transformation, Kabonero told Chimpreports during a business Summit recently.
Faced with this nature of isolation, Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete has been trying to build an alliance with DRC leader Joseph Kabila.
According to intelligence, Kikwete has been in talks with Kabila on supporting the FDLR militia to return to Rwanda.
They keep talking, with Kikwete saying he knows the medicine of the regime in Kigali that is supporting FDLR militants. But we are fully prepared for that so-called invasion and this time some people should expect it to be bloodier because we shall finish this problem, that has been given shelter in DRC for decades, once and for all, said a source in Rwanda.
I am sorry to say, the governments of Kikwete and Kabila pose an existential threat to Rwanda. We dont want to be involved in any war with our neighbours but all indications are that we are headed for that direction. Whoever thinks they can support FDLR to again commit genocide in Rwanda are dreaming we shall return to the mountains and this time, with more advanced weapons, the source added.
It is widely held in diplomatic circles that the expulsion of Rwandans in Kagera was a result of the need to secure the area to allow the FDLR use it for training and preparations for an attack against Rwanda.
Kikwete-Hutu link
Rwanda suspects that the attack could occur within a few months from, now considering that intelligence shows Kagame is wanted out of office before February next year.
Tanzania is on record for having provided logistics and bases for combatants who eventually overthrew the regime of Idi Amin in 1979. It appears history could repeat itself, but this time with Tanzania backing Hutu militants.
According to a Wikileaks report, For years, observers of the Great Lakes conflicts have considered Kikwete to be virulently pro-Hutu.
The US Ambassador to Tanzania told Washington in a leaked cable in May 2005 that Rumors that he (Kikwete) was facilitating arms transfers to Burundian Hutu rebels persisted and that Kikwete's marriage to a cousin of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana may have fueled these rumors
It is such reports that fuel fears that Kikwete is hell bent on destabilizing Rwanda to secure the return of former Hutu leaders in Diaspora to take charge of the country again.
Just recently, Kikwete said Rwanda should hold peace talks with FDLR to end the threat they pose to Kigali.
However, a source said, this was seen by Kigali as a reminder that should Kagames government fall short of negotiating with the FDLR militants, then they should expect the worst.
It also appears to Rwanda that Kabila is eagerly participating in the rearmament of FDLR with hopes that they will oust Kagame, whom he accuses of funding M23 rebels.
UN reports show Kinshasha continues to funnel weapons, intelligence and other logistics to FDLR.
But Defence Minister Gen James Kabarebe believes that FDLR is weak and that Kinshasha is now propping it up.
The General, who fought alongside Kagame in the RPF war that toppled the regime of Juvenal Habyarimana, further adds that in 1994 the FDLR genocidal force in DRC was about 150,000 plus, today it's about 2,000 minus.
He attributes the decimation of over 90 percent of the FDLR militants to Rwanda Defence Forces operations.
Should the tensions between Rwanda on one hand and DRC and Tanzania on the other, it is highly anticipated that Tanzania might be excluded in the edited East African Community.
© 2013 ChimpReports is a Chimp Media Ltd Initiative. Registered in Uganda. All rights reserved.
By Giles Muhame 2 hours 5 minutes ago
Kagame (C) and senior army officials at a ceremony in Rwanda Tanzanias decision to expel thousands of Rwandans from the border area of Kagera has since led to a massive exodus of refugees to Rwanda and Uganda.
According to Ugandas Disaster Preparedness Minister, Musa Ecweru, the Rwandan refugees are now living in makeshift camps in South Western Uganda.
Others have since moved as far deep as Rakai with large numbers of cattle, raising fears of possible clashes with Ugandans over land.
Majority of expelled Rwandans, most of whom had spent over five decade in the country, had their property confiscated by Tanzanian officials and their residential documents destroyed.
Observers say the exodus of Rwandans from Tanzania and the souring relations between the two countries has fuelled speculation that the East African integration will never take place under the present leadership in the region.
According to Adbul Nasser, a regular commentator on regional politics, It clear the expulsion of Rwandese in a primitive manner has no excuse to present to defend the action. Like the former East African Community, the present community today remains the property of the leaders of respective countries that make up the community.
He adds: When the leaders differ in views the ordinary citizens have to pay for the price. President Kikwete of Tanzania has shown himself as another ruthless African leader with anger to revenge on the innocent who bear no pressure on the actions advanced by Kigali administration. It is as usual: when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. It will take time before EAC germinates.
Fardson Nuwahereza, a Ugandan, wonders why the region is silent and appears to be supporting Tanzania for their inhuman acts.
Why turn the guns to innocent citizens who have been living peacefully for many years after quarrelling with your equal? Hopefully one day it could be your turn.
According to Ahmed Kateregga, a Ugandan journalist with significant experience in regional politics, Tanzania destroyed the East Africa Community in 1971 and is not a country one can trust.
The community that collapsed in 1977 with a common market and common services has never returned. The hope is a monetary union by end of this year and a political federation by 2015, says Kateregga.
However, from the look of events, hopes of the EAC union with Tanzania appear unworkable.
OBAM TRIP
A few months ago, President Barack Obama visited East Africa where he met Tanzanias leader Jakaya Kikwete. Obama refused to travel to Uganda, a key partner in the war against regional terrorism and whose army has shed blood to liberate the war-torn Somalia.
The US leader further ignored Kenya, saying the countrys leadership still had questions to answer at ICC over its alleged role in the 2007 post-election violence.
Tanzania is likely to miss out in the EAC integration
Sources say before Obamas trip, it had become increasingly clear to Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda that Tanzania was not interested in the East African Community. Tanzania was acting in a funny way during meeting geared at fast tracking the EAC. They would send an official who would agree with the recommendations of other discussants but at the timing of the signing ceremony, the Tanzanian would refuse to append his signature on the documents saying he/she had to consult or had no mandate to sign, recalls a Ugandan official.
We would wonder why Tanzania kept sending people who could not take decisions on behalf of their country. We want to develop the region which necessitates partnerships. Tanzania which belongs to SADC seemed not to understand the urgency of fast tracking the EAC integration and we decided to let it take its time.
TRIPLE K
Realizing that it would take decades to realise the EAC dream due to Tanzanias sluggish nature, President Museveni swiftly invited his counterparts Paul Kagame and Uhuru Kenyatta for a trilateral conference.
It is from there that it was agreed to move forward in putting in place what analysts described as ambitious infrastructure projects to spur development in the three countries.
This is how the EAC is likely to look like if Tanzania does not roll up its sleeves
A railways line would be constructed to pass through the three countries thus dodging Tanzania. And the Presidents were so serious that they formed committees to ensure the projects are hit in a specified period of time.
No wonder, on Monday, Kenyas President Uhuru Kenyatta managed to secure billions of dollars from China to support the railway line.
We welcome the investment in key sectors of our economy. The rail link, particularly, is important in the context of East Africas shared goal of ensuring quicker movement of peoples, goods and services, Uhuru told China President Xi Jinping on Monday.
This railway line is expected to tremendously lower the cost of doing business in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya. It would also facilitate quick and cheap movement of goods from the three countries.
According to Ugandas envoy to Rwanda, Amb. Richard Kabonero, the railway line will pull investors to the region.
The cost of doing business was scaring away investors. Good, fast and cheap transport will transform the economies of the three countries that will be connected by the railway. This is what the region wants to make a step forward in economic transformation, Kabonero told Chimpreports during a business Summit recently.
Kagame and Kikwete attending a function together in Rwanda
Tanzania annoyedFaced with this nature of isolation, Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete has been trying to build an alliance with DRC leader Joseph Kabila.
According to intelligence, Kikwete has been in talks with Kabila on supporting the FDLR militia to return to Rwanda.
They keep talking, with Kikwete saying he knows the medicine of the regime in Kigali that is supporting FDLR militants. But we are fully prepared for that so-called invasion and this time some people should expect it to be bloodier because we shall finish this problem, that has been given shelter in DRC for decades, once and for all, said a source in Rwanda.
I am sorry to say, the governments of Kikwete and Kabila pose an existential threat to Rwanda. We dont want to be involved in any war with our neighbours but all indications are that we are headed for that direction. Whoever thinks they can support FDLR to again commit genocide in Rwanda are dreaming we shall return to the mountains and this time, with more advanced weapons, the source added.
It is widely held in diplomatic circles that the expulsion of Rwandans in Kagera was a result of the need to secure the area to allow the FDLR use it for training and preparations for an attack against Rwanda.
Kikwete-Hutu link
Rwanda suspects that the attack could occur within a few months from, now considering that intelligence shows Kagame is wanted out of office before February next year.
Tanzania is on record for having provided logistics and bases for combatants who eventually overthrew the regime of Idi Amin in 1979. It appears history could repeat itself, but this time with Tanzania backing Hutu militants.
According to a Wikileaks report, For years, observers of the Great Lakes conflicts have considered Kikwete to be virulently pro-Hutu.
The US Ambassador to Tanzania told Washington in a leaked cable in May 2005 that Rumors that he (Kikwete) was facilitating arms transfers to Burundian Hutu rebels persisted and that Kikwete's marriage to a cousin of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana may have fueled these rumors
It is such reports that fuel fears that Kikwete is hell bent on destabilizing Rwanda to secure the return of former Hutu leaders in Diaspora to take charge of the country again.
Just recently, Kikwete said Rwanda should hold peace talks with FDLR to end the threat they pose to Kigali.
However, a source said, this was seen by Kigali as a reminder that should Kagames government fall short of negotiating with the FDLR militants, then they should expect the worst.
It also appears to Rwanda that Kabila is eagerly participating in the rearmament of FDLR with hopes that they will oust Kagame, whom he accuses of funding M23 rebels.
UN reports show Kinshasha continues to funnel weapons, intelligence and other logistics to FDLR.
But Defence Minister Gen James Kabarebe believes that FDLR is weak and that Kinshasha is now propping it up.
Regional leaders discussing the DRC conflict in Kampala
Whoever has kept FDLR for 19 years in DRC is also the one responsible for M23, not me. The rest is diversionary, misleading and scapegoating.The General, who fought alongside Kagame in the RPF war that toppled the regime of Juvenal Habyarimana, further adds that in 1994 the FDLR genocidal force in DRC was about 150,000 plus, today it's about 2,000 minus.
He attributes the decimation of over 90 percent of the FDLR militants to Rwanda Defence Forces operations.
Should the tensions between Rwanda on one hand and DRC and Tanzania on the other, it is highly anticipated that Tanzania might be excluded in the edited East African Community.
© 2013 ChimpReports is a Chimp Media Ltd Initiative. Registered in Uganda. All rights reserved.
