Presidents Kikwete and Kagame share a light moment

Tension engulfed East Africa after presidents Jakaya Kikwete and Paul Kagame openly showed their differences. The whole story began May 26th in Addis Ababa when Kikwete urged DRC, Rwanda and Uganda to put their houses in order by talking to rebels in these countries. While Kikwete’s piece of mind was warmly received by DRC and Uganda, it did not augur well with Rwanda.

For the first time, Kikwete was labeled a genocider and an advocate of killers! One Rwandan journalist went ahead to allege that Kikwete was Minister for Foreign Affairs during the 1994 genocide, a big lie.

The media in both countries fanned the two protagonists to take on each other with  little understanding that Africa has more important issues to deal with than beat drums of war and  self-destruction resulting from such wanton misunderstandings.

Kikwete just shared his piece of advice. Advice can be heeded or ignored without necessarily resulting in such salvos and spats. Instead of using conflicts destructively, it is better to use them constructively knowing that they are but a natural phenomenon. Rwanda and Tanzania are traditionally connected and related. They were all under Germany colonial master before being handed over to France and Britain respectively after Germany lost in WWII.

In his speech on 24th July at Kaboya on Heroes Day in Kagera, Kikwete asked Tanzanians to go on with their business without any fear. He revisited what befell Idi Amin in 1978 when Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) defeated him. “We will not allow anyone to play around with our sovereignty just as we did not allow Amin’s invasion,” said Kikwete.

According to Emanuel Nchimbi, Minister for interior, this rhetoric-cum-mantra has always been repeated on Mashujaa Day. There was nothing sinister about it. Sadly again, this was misconstrued to mean what was in store for Kagame.

Sensing the danger this misunderstanding would cause, Kikwete addressed the nation on August 1st saying, “I have been shocked and dismayed at the verbal attack and criticism levelled against me by Rwandan officials,” Mr Kikwete said. “What they are doing and saying does not reflect the true position …. (it is) completely out of proportion and out of context.”

Kikwete’s true stand brought relief to peace lovers all over the world. It is a sign of diplomacy, goodwill and civility to which, hopefully, Kagame will equally and timely reciprocate.

Those encouraging two countries to go to war should know that, shall the duo tangle, they’ll all lose. Instead of contemplating about war, the duo must sit down and iron out their differences. This will enable them to go ahead with the building of their respective countries and cooperation in the region.

Methinks Kikwete used the precedence in which Tanzania advised former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana to negotiate peace with the then rebel Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) that was led by Kagame. So too, Tanzania is the nest in which RPF was born. Refer to how RPF founder Fred Gisa Rwigema met with Yoweri Museveni a rebel leader then as they head for Mozambique to fight alongside with FRELIMO.

This brings us to the conclusion by Carlos Santayana (1863-1952) that those who don’t learn from history repeat it.  The war between Tanzania and Uganda should act as a reminder that wars have no eyes and there is no winner in war. Who wants to suffer another economic purgatory like the one that followed after deposing Amin? Please, Kagame take Kikwete’s olive branch and move forward.

By Nkwazi Mhango
A Canada based Tanzanian and author of Saa ya Ukombozi.