On his part, Ayebare thanked Kagame for “warmly receiving me at Urugwiro village [yesterday] evening where I delivered a message from Kaguta Museveni.”
Both parties didn’t disclose the particulars of what was discussed but this was the first public attempt by two countries to reach out to one another after the December 13 Kampala meeting ended without an agreement.
Ugandan and Rwandan representatives said they would refer the matter to Presidents Museveni and Kagame to resolve.
The Rwanda border with Uganda at Gatuna has been closed since February 2019 – which has seen trade between two countries tumble to near zero. Rwanda says Uganda supports armed groups that are attempting to overthrow the Kigali administration. Uganda denies this and accuses Kigali of infiltrating the country’s security agencies.