Maputo — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza has cancelled a visit he was due to make to Uganda this week, in order to contrite his energies on accompanying in person the response to the current flooding that his hit southern and central Mozambique.

Guebuza’s Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, had invited him to attend the commemorations of the 27th anniversary of the victory of Museveli’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) in 1986, when it toppled the military junta of General Tito Okello. The NRM victory ended a cycle of violence and economic turmoil, and gave Ugabda a stable regime.

Ugandan “Victory Day”is celebrated on 27 January each year – but this year the commemorations have been postponed to Wednesday, because of Museveni’s participation in the heads of state summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa.

The central commemorations will be held at the town of Kasese, 450 kilometrrs from Kampala, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),

Museveni has a longstanding relationship with Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party, and underwent military training with Frelimo guerrillas prior to Mozambican independence. The NRM is also grateful to Mozambique for its participation in the overthrow of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 1979.

This is the second time that Guebuza has cancelled a trip abroad because of the Mozambican floods. Last week, he cancelled his participation in the African Union summit, and instead visited the flood stricken areas of the Limpopo Valley.