Written by
Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. On the 29 August 2021 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali arrived in Kampala for a half day long working visit at the invitation of Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to discuss several issues, as conflicts in the Tigray region spread to other parts of the country.
Although the agenda of the meeting remained unclear, the short press release by the Presidential Press Unit revealed that the duo held talks on various issues and agreed to further strengthen cooperation in bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest.
Uganda-Ethiopia relations
Uganda and Ethiopia do not share borders, but inaudibly share incomparable diplomatic relations that neither one of them is according to any other nation.
The two East African nations are strong trade partners and cooperate in bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest.
Reasons for the visit
Abiy’s visit to Uganda comes against the backdrop of worsening civil war in Ethiopia.
The conflict has been a sensitive issue for the African Union, and Ethiopia’s allies have prevented any discussion of the issue at the UN Security Council.
Ethiopia and Uganda have been cooperating in various peace processes and this was revealed in the statement which was issued by Uganda’s Presidential Press Unit on Abiy’s visit.
However the press release issued by the Republic of Uganda’s Foreign Affairs stated that the two leaders’ discussion was centred on strengthening both nations bilateral ties and international issues of common interest.
This was not the first time the delegation from Ethiopia met President Museveni. And on 16 November 2020, an Ethiopian delegation led by the deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen Hassan had a meeting with Museveni in Uganda seeking to end the Tigray crisis.
The claims of mediation in Uganda were refuted by the government’s task force for Tigray conflicts as Ugandan President Museveni tweeted that he had met Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister and urged negotiations.
Abiy-Museveni’s Relationships
It remains to be seen if Abiy asked Museveni to mediate the political conflicts in Ethiopia, Museveni being a highly regarded figure in that nation.
Abiy is under pressure from the international community to hold talks with his rivals, the Tigray people’s Liberation Front (TPLF), an ethnic nationalist former paramilitary group, now leading political party, which ran Ethiopia for 30 years.
One retired diplomat who worked in Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry for two decades said Museveni is respected for his vast experience in the regional security affairs.And he has defended Ethiopia’s national interest, including the construction of renaissance dam, for a very long time.
Sources told that several African leaders asked Museveni to intervene in the Ethiopia crisis with the view of avoiding a spillover in the Horn of Africa.
Tigray Crisis
Fighting broke out in the Ethiopian region of Tigray after the government accused the TPLF, the party that governed the region, of insubordination.
The TPLF ruled Ethiopia with an iron fist for over 30 years until April 2018 when Abiy Ahmed was appointed as Prime Minister to replace Haile Mariam Desalegn who resigned after a month of anti government protest in Oramia region where Abiy comes from.
The conflict which was sparked last November by an attack on a federal army base by TPLF forces has threatened to further destabilize Africa’s second most populous country.
According to the UN, the conflict has already left some 400,000 people in a near-famine situation.
