[Ugnet] When Museveni Promised to Box Bizimungu

Event: it is mid 1997 in Nairobi city at the height of the rebellion in Zaire to remove then President Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngibendu Wazabanga.

A large number of presidents from East, Central and Southern Africa are assembled discussing the fate of their colleague, Mobutu.

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has succeeded in creating consensus among the continent's ever-squabbling leaders to remove the Zairean dictator - a formidable feat by all standards.

In attendance we have: Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Frederick Chiluba of Zambia and Joachim Chissano of Mozambique.

There is also Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, Isias Afewarki of Eritrea, Daniel arap Moi of Kenya and Pasteur Bizimungu of Rwanda.

The picture is completed by Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere retired president of Tanzania and our own Yoweri Museveni.

The circumstances: Mandela has caused an uproar in the meeting by suggesting that the coalition encourage negotiations between Mobutu and rebel leader Laurent Kabila whom the octogenarian South African president has proposed can become prime minister or vice president. Bizimungu in an angry but usual undiplomatic style asks Mandela how he had come up with such an idea.

Mandela answers that it is Museveni who had advised him so. Bizimungu, visibly pissed off and waggling a finger at Museveni asks what the Uganda president is up to. Museveni admirably keeps his cool and ignores the Rwandan president's provocative outburst.

In disgust, Afewarki walks out of the meeting, swearing not to talk to Museveni again.

Many other presidents present are angry at Museveni, a few even openly rebuke him except for Ethiopia's Zenawi. Nyerere, always a close Museveni ally turns to the President of Uganda, and shaking his head said "Yoweri you are wrong, very wrong ... you have turned political expediency into a principle."

After the conference:

Museveni in a meeting with the Ugandan and Rwandan delegations claims the idea of negotiations was really Mandela's and he (Museveni) did not want to openly contradict the respected South African statesman when he (Mandela) said it was Museveni who proposed the idea to him.

But Yoweri, son of Kaguta, was not yet done.

He told Kagame to warn Bizimungu that next time the Rwandan president rebukes him like that in public Museveni would physically punch Bizimungu.

"You should tell him that I trained and I am experienced in karate," Museveni tells a stunned Kagame.

[Ugnet] When Museveni Promised to Box Bizimungu

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