On This Day in History: Uganda and Rwanda Agree to Ceasefire in Kisangani
August 17, 1999 – After three days of heavy fighting in the Congolese city of Kisangani, Uganda and Rwanda agreed to a ceasefire that marked a turning point in their uneasy alliance during the Second Congo War.
The truce was reached following high-level talks at Mweya Safari Lodge in Uganda between President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Rwandan President Pasteur Bizimungu, and then-Vice President Paul Kagame.
To cement the agreement, a joint investigation team was formed to examine the causes of the clashes. The committee was led by Brig. Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, Chief of Staff of the Rwanda Patriotic Army (later Lt. Gen.), and Maj. Gen. Jeje Odongo, Commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (later Gen.).
Both countries had initially entered the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1998, backing the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) in its fight against the Kinshasa government of President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. However, internal rivalries soon split the rebel movement into two factions: the Rwandan-backed RCD-Goma led by Dr. Emile Ilunga, and the Ugandan-backed RCD-Kisangani led by Prof. Ernest Wamba dia Wamba.
The Kisangani clashes exposed growing fractures between Kampala and Kigali, transforming allies into rivals on foreign soil. While the ceasefire temporarily halted hostilities, tensions between the two armies in eastern Congo would resurface in the years that followed, leaving a lasting mark on regional security dynamics.
