31 May 2008
Kampala — THE incident in which a Rwandese fighter helicopter violated Uganda's air space will be investigated and handled by the Joint Verification Mechanism that exists between the two countries.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador James Mugume, said the two countries had agreed to use the mechanism agreed to in 2002 in London to sort out the tension that the mishap could cause.
"We have agreed with the ambassador of Rwanda to go that way (use the Joint Verification Mechanism)," Mugume said on telephone. The PS explained that the technical people will set dates for meeting to review the incident.
Rwanda's ambassador to Uganda, Ignatius Kamali Karegesa, was reluctant to comment on the incident. He even doubted whether Uganda had indeed protested about the violation of its airspace.
"Why don't you first find out whether there is a protest note at all?" Keregesa said when asked if his government has replied to Uganda's protest. "There's a principle not to discuss these issues in the media," he added when pressed.
However, Uganda's ambassador to Kigali, Richard Kabonero said on telephone that the embassy had got acknowledgement of receipt of the protest note.
"We wrote to the Rwanda government seeking explanation and got a (diplomatic) note," Kabonero commented.
"We are handling it through the Joint Verification Mechanism. There's no cause for alarm."
On May 18, a Rwandese military helicopter Mi-17 gunship crossed into Uganda's territory at Kyanika border point and hovered over Kisoro town and the neighbouring areas.
Sources said when it entered Uganda, the fighter chopper moved northwest over Kisoro airstrip, Murora and Kanaaba sub-counties and southwards over Ichuya Forest Reserve. It proceeded to the Kabale-Kisoro border, flying along the Uganda-Rwanda border and flew back taking the same route as it came, using Kyanika as an exit.
The army spokesperson for western Uganda, Lt. Kiconco Tabaro, said Uganda would not counter-deploy because it doesn't harbour any suspicions against Rwanda. He said Uganda cannot allow negative forces to use its territory to destablise a neighbouring country.
"We have no intentions of deploying along the border. We are not at war with Rwanda. We have left the matter with diplomatic missions for them to handle it," Kiconco noted.
Sources from Rwanda said that the chopper first landed at Ruhengeri, the second division headquarters of the Rwanda army, and then Gitarama from where it sprung to enter Uganda. The chopper reportedly flew low at 80metres above sea level within Kisoro and only increased altitude to 150 metres, in the mountainous areas.
"The gunship was armed and loaded with people with helmets. The residents got so scared and communicated to the army. We decided to monitor it. We never came in for action," a security source said yesterday.
Intelligence sources said that the Rwandese military violated Uganda's airspace for a reconnaissance mission against rebels fighting it with bases in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sources intimated that Kigali is concerned that the rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have of recent re-organised and regained strength recently. They suspected that they would infiltrate into Rwanda through the boundary at Mpimbi, 30-35km from Uganda inside the DRC and Kisoro.
The FDLR was formed in 2000 after the Kinshasa-based Hutu command and the Kivu-based Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALiR) agreed to merge. It counts among its number the original members of the Interahamwe that carried out the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
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