Regional lawyers’ body to mediate in Rwanda- Uganda row

The East Africa Law Society(EALS), a regional lawyers' body  has said plans are underway to help reconcile two countries of Uganda and Rwanda which are currently not seeing eye to eye with each other.

In a statement released on Tuesday, EALS said the frosty relationship between the two East African countries has constrained movement of goods and services for member states in the region, adding that they ought to get a solution to the impasse.

“We have offered to provide a platform for negotiation on the situation in a citizen led solution searching, “said EALS president Willy Rubeya.

He revealed that the regional lawyers’ body has constituted a team of highly experienced diplomats, senior lawyers, business community and Civil Society Organizations to handle the process of reconciliation.

“We are separately reaching out to heads of state of the Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of Uganda with the offer of mediation. In a short-while, we shall keep the public informed of the status of the dispute resolution.”

The lawyers’ body however urged the public to keep calm as the negotiation process goes on.

Relations between two sister countries Uganda and Rwanda have been at their lowest and recently culminated into the closure of the border by the Kigali establishment.

Paul Kagame’s government accuses their counterparts from Kampala of supporting rebel elements aimed at overthrowing the former.

On Saturday while addressing a retreat of national leaders, Paul Kagame, the Rwanda president said his country had been “provoked” by Uganda that prompted them to close the Katuna border.

He claimed that a number of Rwanda nationals had been detained in military facilities in Uganda without any charge.

On the other side, Uganda has since denied the claims of supporting subversive activities against their Kigali counterparts, adding that all Rwandan nationals arrested have cases to answer and have since been arraigned in courts of law.

“There is no Rwandan in police custody outside the jurisdiction of the law. Any Rwandan in custody has been processed through the police system or judicial system,” Uganda government spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo told journalists.