President Museveni is set to invite his French counterpart Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron to brainstorm on the security situation in DRC and other issues that affect Africa.
The Ugandan leader said he would ask Macron to pay an official visit to Uganda next year when the country celebrates the NRM Liberation Day, observed on January 26th each year.
“I’m going to write to H.E Macron and invite him here to discuss African and World issues, including Europe,” President Museveni said, adding that “Europe has nothing to lose if they work well with Africa.”
The President revealed this on Monday while meeting the outgoing French Ambassador to Uganda, Jules-Armand Aniambossou who called on him at State house Entebbe.
Mr Aniambossou informed the President about his three-year diplomatic tour of duty to Uganda that has come to an end and lauded the cordial relations that exist between the two countries of Uganda and France.
“During the time I have spent here, I discovered Uganda is a very beautiful country. I consider myself somehow like Ugandan and will leave the country as an ambassador. We have done well on our bilateral relations,” he said.
Mr Aniambossou is now headed to Ghana where he will serve his next 3 years as an ambassador of France in the west African country.
The outgoing French Ambassador also updated the President about the efforts by France to bring peace in Eastern Congo.
He said this was top on agenda during the meeting Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron the President of France held in Paris, the French Capital with the two Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
During the New York meeting, President Paul Kagame blamed DRC’s armed forces for integrating the genocidal FDLR fighters in their fighting formations against the M23 rebels. The FDLR have previously attacked the Rwandan territory, killing innocent people.
Tshisekedi had earlier demanded the withdrawal of M23 from Bunagana border point, the return of displaced Congolese and the “unconditional end of Rwandan army support for that terrorist group, along with deployment of the East Africa Regional Force, and the lifting all obstacles to restructure the armed forces, including acquiring military equipment.”
The talks did not bear fruit as M23 rebels refused to leave the Bunagana border town.
Mr Aniambossou however said a sustainable solution to lasting peace in Eastern Congo cannot be achieved without the involvement of Uganda which has a wealth of experience in solving conflicts in the region.
“We know that we cannot find a sustainable solution without Uganda. We also need to get your advice about the Nairobi process,” he added.
President Museveni said he will have to discuss with President Macron who seems committed to the peace process in Eastern DRC.
“I would like really to sit down with Mr Macron and we talk strategically. Europe has nothing to lose if they work well with Africa,” President Museveni said.
Macron visited Africa in July 2022. He traveled to Kigali, Rwanda where he held talks with President Paul Kagame.
Macron also supports the Rwandan armed forces’ operations against terrorist groups in Northern Mozambique.
Oil and gas
The proposed meeting with Macron would also come against the backdrop of increased criticism of the East African oil Pipeline by western civil society groups.
The European Union Parliament recently passed a resolution calling on France’s Total Energies, which has a stake in the oil pipeline project, and other stakeholders to delay the pipeline project for a year over environmental and human rights concerns.
Museveni has since warned Total Energies against abiding by the EU Parliament’s resolution, saying he would source for other investors in the multi-billion dollar project.
In his meeting with Aniambossou, Museveni noted that the availability of borders has helped Africa to maintain peace between countries and if anyone wanted to alter them, they should do it peacefully.
He asked the Western world to support the East African approach of solving conflicts.
“The East African approach is a good one because it brings in more eyes, brings more transparency and isolates the troublemakers. The western countries should support this”, Museveni said, adding that “When President Macron comes here, we shall discuss further.”
According to President Museveni, the problem in Eastern Congo is ideological, not knowing the relationship between peace and wealth creation.
