KAMPALA, Uganda
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has today March 22, revealed that he had sent a letter to his Tanzanian counterpart, which would have seen the two Heads of State seal the crude oil pipeline deal.
He
said this at a small gathering of Ugandan government leaders in Kampala to pay
their respects to the late Tanzanian President John Magufuli.
Museveni
expressed his sadness saying that instead of signing the deal, he was signing a
condolence book following the death of Tanzania’s President John Magufuli.
“Two
weeks ago, I wrote to Magufuli about the oil pipeline. Today, March 22, was
supposed to be the signing day for the tripartite between Uganda, Tanzania, and
Total – the signing was supposed to take place in Entebbe,” said Museveni.
He
further added that in the letter, he had [jokingly] written that today would be
a double victory day, referencing a historical moment on a similar day in 1979
when the Tanzanian and Ugandan army joined forces to defeat Iddi Amin.
“About
42 years ago, on March 21, the Tanzanian army, together with Ugandan freedom
fighters – with me present, defeated the army of Iddi Amin in the counter
attack against the town of Mbarara at a place called Rukando – 12 miles from
Mbarara on the Kabaale road. So, I joked that today would be a double victory;
one for our military but also for our economy,” he said, adding that the fact
that he is instead signing a condolence book was so sad and unexpected.
He also said that that leaders should emulate Magufuli's
legacy of being a dedicated servant. On Saturday, Museveni declared 14 days of
mourning in honour of the deceased leader. Museveni also directed that the
flags of Uganda and that of the East African community shall be flown at
half-mast throughout Uganda’s missions abroad.
The
oil pipeline is intended to transport crude oil from Uganda’s oil fields in
Hoima to the Port of Tanga, Tanzania on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
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