President Museveni yesterday said he plans to invite his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to discuss ways of resolving the intermittent conflicts in eastern DR Congo.
“I’m going to write to H.E Macron and invite him here to discuss African and world issues, including Europe,” he said.
The President made the revelation while meeting the outgoing French ambassador to Uganda, Mr Jules-Armand Aniambossou, 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 Uganda and France.
“For 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 represent France in Ghana in West Africa.
In yesterday’s meeting, he updated President Museveni about diplomatic efforts by Paris to bring peace in eastern Congo, which the French leader has separately discussed with Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi.
Eastern DR Congo has been plagued by intermittent conflicts masterminded by a plethora of rebel and militia groups, among the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels that UPDF, working with Congolese army, seeks to annihilate.
Ambassador Aniambossou told Mr Museveni that lasting peace in DR 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, referring to an East African Community effort to end the conflict in Congo.
It is at this point during yesterday’s meeting that President Museveni offered to discuss the touchy issues with his French counterpart whom he expects to visit Uganda next January.
“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,” he said.
President Museveni said borders have helped Africa 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 trouble makers. The western countries should support this,” Mr Museveni said, adding: “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.