Uganda will not sign either African free trade agreement soon
Prensa Latina | 19 March 2018
Uganda will not sign either African free trade agreement soon
The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, unexpectedly called off today a visit to Rwanda, where he was to sign along with other leaders of the continent the African Continental Free Trade Area Treaty (CFTA).
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It is not yet clear why Museveni decided to cancel the trip, but local commentators believe that this suggests the deterioration of relations between Kigali and Kampala.
Rwanda accuses Uganda of illegally detaining its citizens and of helping groups that fight against its government, while the other side accuses some Rwandans of espionage.
The CFTA should be signed tomorrow at an Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) in Kigali, but yesterday there was also the absence of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Buhari cancelled the visit to ’allow more time for the contributions of interested sides’ from his country.
Specialists had the presence of the 55 countries of the continent, but these absences could delay the effective implementation of the agreement, which aims at eliminating trade barriers and allowing free movement.
