After Museveni's reelection, what does Uganda's continued support of anti Rwanda terror groups mean?

Museveni starts supporting RNC as he promised during campaigns

On January 26, Command1Post, an online publication run by Uganda's Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) gave Rwandan fugitive Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa platform to publish an article titled "Why I Parted Ways with Paul Kagame."

The disinformation Kayumba spreads in the article is not something new. But, it is the platform he got and other latest developments signaling what Kampala is up to, that are an issue.

President Yoweri Museveni last week accused a "certain" country in the region of meddling in Uganda’s recently concluded chaotic elections. Quickly, Chimpreports, another CMI publication, named Rwanda as the country Museveni accused.

Command1Post gave Kayumba platform just two days after, on Sunday, members of his terrorist group, Rwanda National Congress (RNC), concluded a meeting in which they, among other things, celebrated Museveni's recent reelection as well as prayed for his reign.

Led by Kayumba, the RNC is a terror organisation behind the spate of grenade attacks that killed people in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, between 2010 and 2013. His cadres' meeting was held in the town of Kakumiro, in the Western region of Uganda.

On January 23, 11 RNC members recruited by Prossy Bonabana and Sula Nuwamanya - two senior leaders of the terror outfit in Uganda - completed their week long cadreship training conducted through video conferencing at Bugolobi, in Kampala. 

The new cadres were commissioned in the presence of Col. Bernard Tugume of CMI. The Colonel is the man in charge of RNC support in Uganda. More such cadreship intakes are expected to follow since the terrorist group was promised full support during Museven’s campaigns.

Prossy Boonabana and Sula Nuwamanya wa Kabiligi Rutaburingoga

On the same date, at Kibijjo Primary School in Kyirijo trading center, Kakumiro Municipality, 10 RNC members conducted a meeting chaired by one Emmanuel Munyaneza, alias Richard Ugirase. The participants were thankful for the reelection of Museveni who promised to support their subversive activities aimed at overthrowing the Government of Rwanda. They dedicated two days of prayers to thank God for Museven’s re-elections. In the meeting, they were mobilized to be proactive in conducting mobilization activities; selling membership cards for recruitment and mobilization of funds.

But besides these continued RNC activities in Uganda, what does Command1Post giving Kayumba platform to publish his lies imply?

Consider that in the last - and fourth - Quadripartite Heads of State Summit held in February 2020 at Gatuna/Katuna border to try normalize ties between Rwanda and Uganda, the latter was given a month to verify allegations and evidence presented by Rwanda about anti-Kigali groups freely operating in Uganda, among other things.

In the presence of Presidents Paul Kagame, Angolan President João Lourenço and his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi - facilitators to the Luanda peace process - Museveni was requested to, among other things, put an end to the operations and fundraising activities of RNC leaders on his territory including Bonabaana, Nuwamanya, Dr. Rukundo Rugali, Emerithe Gahongayire and Emmanuel Mutarambirwa.

At the 4th Quadripartite Meeting, Uganda was asked to end support to anti-Rwanda elements. But activities of terrorist groups operating in Uganda whose primary mission is to destabilise Rwanda continue, with CMI support.

In June last year, during a virtual meeting of senior government officials from both countries - the fourth Ad Hoc Commission meeting - some progress was made when Uganda pledged to set free 130 Rwandan citizens illegally held captive.

At the time, Kigali called it a good development but noted that there were many other outstanding issues that Kampala had to sort out. Now, however, after his reelection, Museveni is signaling that things could be heading south.