Kisumu
  28/08/07
 
MUSEVENI AND KABILA TO MEET OVER THE DISPUTED OIL WELLS IN LAKE ALBERT.

By Leo Odera Omolo

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda have agreed to hold a face-to face summit within the next ten days to discuss the tension building up at their common border to iron out and curtail urgent security matters.

Reports emerging from the region say Ugandan dissidents based in Eastern Congo have constituted a serious threat to Uganda’s oil wells for some time.

But the recently reported incident along the border ushers in new dynamics. Early this month, men from Congolese army attacked an oil exploration team based on Lake Albert and days later armed Militia men from Congo raided Kanungu.

The two countries are now working around the clock to stave off future attacks and also improve relations between the two nations.

The summit will take place on September 8th and 9th in the Tanzanian town of Arusha. This was disclosed by Ambassador James Mugume, the permanent secretary in the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The revelation was made after the Congolese Foreign Minister, Mbusa Nyamwisi made a surprise visit to Kampala over the weekend to deliver a message from President Joseph Kabila to his Ugandan counterpart, requesting for a direct meeting between the two heads of State.

Since the discovery of the huge oil deposits around Lake Albert and the start of its exploration, tension has been building up in the area caused by the fact that Ugandan anti government insurgent groups like Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the peoples Redemption Army (PRA), the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other rebel groups in the DRC, which pose a security threat to Uganda, still remain. The discovery of oil in the region straddling the borders between the two countries has added another dimension to the security threats in the region.

Oil fields and finds have triggered some of the worst wars in the world, like case of the Albert Valley, these wars have been over which country owns oil deposits that lie close to the border. Both Iran and Iraq conflict of 1980’s and the Iraq – Kuwait war were feuds over oil rich fields around the border.

In Africa, Cameroon and Nigeria spent years struggling over ownership of the Bakasi Peninsula. The Nigeria oil rich region is full of anti government militias set up mainly by local tribes, claiming to fight for a share of the oil revenue.

The visiting Congolese Minister was quoted by Ugandan press as saying that his visit is a response to the one 10 days ago by Ugandan Minister Sam Kutesa, and the visit is aimed at reinforcing the two neighbouring countries’ relations of good neighbourliness.

The objective of the planned summit is to build confidence. Kabila had asked for a meeting between the two heads of states before September 15, the date when a tripartite plus meeting of leaders of the Great Lakes region is scheduled in the Uganda capital of Kampala.

Mbusa admitted that, apart from building confidence, it was also about reaching an agreement on the common exploitation of the oil reserves in Lake Albert, which is shared by both countries.

Earlier this month, the Congolese troops attacked an oil barge belonging to Canada-based Heritage Oil firm near the tiny Rukwanzi Island, killing a British oil worker.

A week earlier, the Congo army captured four Ugandan soldiers at the same place, accusing them of trespassing and illegally entering their territorial waters.

“We made an agreement over the sharing of oil resources with Angola. We will do the same with Uganda. It is even an opportunity for us to work together”, Foreign Minister Mbusa was quoted as saying this by the media in Uganda, on arrival in Kampala.

The Congolese Minister also termed the recent incidents “unfortunate” and “regrettable”, which would not happen again. “We don’t want them to be repeated because we are very much aware that we need to stabilize the situation. We need to move forward, not backward. And I know the President is also convinced of that”.

“A border commission is to be established and the exact border line between the two countries established, based on the colonial maps”, he repeated what his Ugandan counterpart had said earlier, adding that, “We are going to establish a commission which will determine the borders. We have already called in the former colonial masters, the Belgian and British experts”.

“The commission would have to establish as to which country Rukwanzi Island, which is located right in the middle of Lake Albert belongs, but it is not about the piece of land”, the Congolese Minister noted. “It is about the oil wealth located underneath it. As well as there was nothing we did not even know this small fishing island existed!”

Observers and analysts were quick in pointing out that although Uganda and DRC (Congo) governments are unlikely to go to war, facts that could trigger armed conflict exist.

In the year 1998, Ugandan and Rwandese forces helped a mixture of rebel groups led by the late Lawrent Kabila to overthrow the late Marshall Joseph Mobutu Sese Seko, the former despotic ruler of the Congo, then called Zaire, before that country reverted to its former name. In 1999 however, the same forces assisted rebel groups that among others, included Wemba Dis Wamba’s RCD, Pierre Memba’s MLC and tribal Militias like Lendu and Mai Mai to fight the government of Kabila, but before he was overthrown, he was assassinated.

Ugandan and Rwandan forces then took control of huge swathes of land in Eastern Congo using them as a buffer military zone. DRC accused the two countries of violating its sovereign and looting its wealth.

Many Congolese are still bitter about the “humiliation”, and these sentiments could trigger hostilities.

The latest conflict has been quietly going on for sometime. Ugandan fishermen have been complaining of harassment by the elements of the Congolese security forces on Lake Albert. According to them, many fishermen are arbitrarily arrested by the Congolese soldiers, while others are even shot and killed.

Apart from fishermen, the Congolese army last month arrested and detained four UPDF soldiers found on the disputed Rukwanzi island in Lake Albert. But Uganda responded with the restraint to this bold and provocative act.

Military intelligence sources say there are sparks that need to be dealt with lest they set off another round of fighting between the two countries.

According to sources, the US has launched numerous rescue operations for any soldiers captured by her enemies in battle on her site. Uganda chose to use diplomacy to have them released. But even before they were released, the attack on oil company workers took place. In military terms, this is considered a second wave of provocation.

Ends.

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com .