Authorities in Uganda have dispelled reports of a planned meeting between Gen Salim Saleh and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda as false and devoid of facts.
On Wednesday, NBS journalist Canary Mugume posted on his Twitter handle that Gen Salim Saleh is planning to visit and meet Paul Kagame as part of the ongoing process to normalize strained relations between the two countries.
In a statement by the Foreign Affairs ministry the reports about the purported visit are untrue.
“For the record, there is no planned visit to Kigali by General Salim Saleh as purported by the NBS journalist through his Twitter handle @CanaryMugume.” the statement reads in part.
Uganda and Rwanda are doing everything possible to normalize their bilateral relations but are also mindful of some members of the public whose actions could derail the warm and cordial relations being cultivated between the two countries.” the statement adds.
In the impugned Tweet which has since been deleted, Mugume quotes “deep throat sources” in state house to have leaked information about the meting between Gen Salim Saleh and Paul Kagame. Gen. Saleh is the young brother of Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni.
However, the news of Gen Saleh meeting president Kagame did not come as a surprise to many Ugandans after Museveni’s son -Lt Gen Muhoozi Keinerugaba met Paul Kagame at the beginning of February, a meeting that culminated into opening of the borders which had been closed for three years.
Before the trip to Kigali, Gen Muhoozi stated how he was going to meet “his uncle” (Kagame) and that soon the border would be opened. This came to pass.
The strained bilateral relations between the two countries which led to closure of borders had stalled until the First son made the historic visit.
After deleting the impugned Tweet, Mugume however stated (in another post) that the said meeting had been postponed.