After three months of a bitter exchange of words between Dar es Salaam and Kigali, Presidents Jakaya Kikwete and Paul Kagame’s meeting on Thursday, September 5, in Uganda’s capital Kampala, went some way to ease tensions between their countries.

But a complete repair of relations between Tanzania and Rwanda depends on how each side builds upon the nearly 70-minute tête-à-tête they shared at the lakeside Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort — some 10km outside the city centre on Lake Victoria.

(Read: Rift: Dar, Kigali must pull back from the brink)
“The meeting went beyond the expectations of both presidents in terms of the cordiality and the ease with which they found agreement on all the issues they discussed,” sources close to the meeting told The EastAfrican, even though they would not divulge the specific issues the two leaders prioritised for their chat.

However, the sources added, “The meeting is an event. What must now happen is for a process to be initiated in which the two can sustain dialogue with each other so that they can repair trust and then share information regularly in order to stay above misinformation from their own people.”

The Kikwete-Kagame meeting was not only eagerly anticipated but turned out to be the highlight of the 7th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), which Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, the current ICGLR chair, convened to discuss the worsening security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

“It was an indication of the importance of the mechanism [ICGLR] in resolving conflicts between neighbouring states no matter how big or small, real or perceived,” noted an ICGLR official who spoke to on condition of anonymity.

The Summit was called because of clashes between the Intervention Brigade, the first ever UN combat force, and the M23 rebels that claimed the life of a Tanzanian soldier attached to the Brigade and many others, whose total number remains unknown.

Tanzania, alongside South Africa, has contributed troops and the overall commander of the Brigade, which Rwanda and Uganda expressed strong reservations about. They have argued that the Brigade prioritises military options that have consistently failed to get to the root causes of the ceaseless conflict in eastern DR Congo. What is more, Kigali views some of these troop-contributing countries as having it as their main target, said knowledgeable sources.

“If the relations improve after the talk between Kagame and Kikwete, then obviously Kigali will feel that Tanzania has not joined the bandwagon of those who view Rwanda as the troublemaker in eastern DRC,” noted an official in Munyonyo.

The clashes between the Brigade and the rebels raised the spectre of war between Rwanda and DR Congo after Kigali moved troops and heavy weaponry to the border with its westerly neighbour. According to senior officials, it needed to defend its territory against attacks by the Congolese army after a series of bombs and rockets were fired from DR Congo into Rwanda.

Although defence and security chiefs had suggested a ceasefire between the fighting forces to allow for a conclusion of talks between the rebels and the government, it is understood Kinshasa objected, saying that would only buy time for M23, which retreated from its positions around the provincial capital Goma to regroup. It, however, agreed to resume talks, which it had opposed as well on account that they legitimised M23.
“It [Kinshasa] was reminded that it was the one that requested the talks and therefore it needed to conclude them one way or another,”
noted another ICGLR official.

Peace agreement

The talks, which have suffered false starts since they opened in December last year, broke down again in May in spite of the fact that there is a draft peace agreement consolidated from each side’s final presentations.

The 7th Summit not only condemned the bombings on Rwandan territory, the leaders declared support for the Brigade and sympathised with Tanzania over the loss of its officer — an action those who attended the meeting say touched Tanzanian officials and gave some reassurance that the country was not isolated.

(Read: Rwanda warns its enemies after bombs from Congo land on villages)
“There is some hope that Tanzania will change tack on eastern DRC. In any case, losing such a senior officer during the first battle is probably not a good sign,” noted a senior official at the talks.

The summit directed the Kampala talks to resume within three days and conclude within a fortnight, during which time “maximum restraint must be exercised on the ground” to allow for talks to conclude.

“If the dialogue is not concluded in the time agreed upon, the Chairman of the Summit shall consult his colleagues on the way forward,” reads the communiqué.