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Uganda Zaire
Historically, Ugandan-Zairian relations have been
complicated
by border problems. Border incidents caused by Zairian
rebel
groups operating from bases in Uganda have increased the
strain
between the two countries. Long-standing border tensions
appeared
to diminish in early 1988, largely because of diplomatic
efforts
by both nations. In April 1988, Ugandan and Zairian
security
officials sought met in Goma, Zaire, to resolve problems
caused
by the Congolese Liberation Party (Parti de Libération
Congolaise--PLC). PLC rebels, opponents of Zairian
President
Mobutu Sese Seko, were active in the Ruwenzori Mountains,
which
stretch from southwestern Uganda into eastern Zaire.
Ugandans in
the area accused PLC members of stealing vehicles for
resale in
Zaire. The talks produced an agreement to retrieve stolen
property peacefully, when possible, and to deal with PLC
rebels
through official means.
In June 1988, Ugandan-Zairian relations again
deteriorated
when PLC forces mounted a series of attacks in
northeastern
Zaire. The PLC claimed to have killed 120 Zairian Armed
Forces
(Forces Armées Zaïroises--FAZ) troops and wounded many
others.
When the FAZ launched a counteroffensive, a PLC commander
mistakenly led his forces into Ugandan territory. Ugandan
troops
arrested nineteen members of the PLC at Kasese,
incarcerated them
at the local military barracks, and registered a complaint
that
Zaire was failing to control its own political dissidents.
Tensions escalated in November 1988, when FAZ troops
raided
territory in northwestern Uganda, setting fire to several
dozen
houses and destroying property. Museveni's protest
prompted Zaire
to close the border between the two countries. Another
confrontation followed when Zairian soldiers again razed
several
homes in western Uganda, this time in pursuit of fleeing
rebels.
A third border incident occurred in December 1988, when a
FAZ
platoon raided military outposts in northwestern Uganda,
killing
three Ugandan soldiers.
Relations between the two countries were further
strained
when former Ugandan president Idi Amin Dada appeared in
Zaire in
January 1989. Holding a false Zairian passport, Amin
arrived in
Kinshasa on an Air Zaire flight from Libreville, Gabon. He
apparently intended to return to Uganda with an estimated
500
armed supporters who were to meet him in northeastern
Zaire.
Museveni requested the former president's extradition,
intending
to try Amin for atrocities committed during his eight-year
reign.
Kinshasa rejected this request because there was no
extradition
treaty between Uganda and Zaire. Instead, the Mobutu
regime
detained Amin in Kinshasa and expelled him from the
country nine
days later. Thereafter, relations between Uganda and Zaire
were
cool, leading to the mutual expulsion of ambassadors; on
September 8, 1989, the two countries restored full
diplomatic
ties.
Throughout 1990 Ugandan and Zairian officials worked to
stabilize their common border. In April the two countries
agreed
to deal peacefully with judicial, security, and defense
matters
and to apprehend and repatriate runaway criminals. Talks
in July
dealt with a variety of security, trade, poaching, and
smuggling
problems, but the failure of these meetings to achieve any
progress prompted FAZ units to seal off the Zairian-Uganda
border
in October 1990. In late 1990, the border between the two
countries appeared likely to remain unstable for the
foreseeable
future.
Data as of December 1990
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