Sometime last week, one of the daily newspapers reported that Gen Salim Saleh had sneaked into the Makindye detention facility and privately interacted with ex-IGP Gen Kale Kayihura who has been incarcerated there now for more than 2 weeks. The story was subsequently dismissed as untrue both by Kayihura friends and foes. As this news website went about digging up seeking to learn more about the whole Saleh visitation saga, credible political, diplomatic and military sources corroboratively disclosed to us why Gen Salim Saleh can never do such a thing; more especially that one of the very many things Gen Kayihura and his detained aides and assistants are being accused of his extreme loyalty to and conducting business in a manner that is beneficial to a country called Rwanda. “Gen Saleh and the Rwanda leadership are renowned enemies for decades and not even President Museveni, the CiC, can ever reconcile them. If Gen Kayihura was accused of one million and one things and none related to Rwanda, it would be natural for the magnanimous Gen Saleh to get involved especially that Gen Kayihura is said to be in a repentant mood,” said a knowledgeable military source that many years ago used to closely work with Gen Saleh in efforts aimed at pacifying the Great Lakes and more so Kabila’s DRC.
The same source said that, whereas historical differences existed much earlier on, the DRC-related events especially the 1998 Kisangani clashes escalated things beyond reproach. Sources spoke of a meeting that took place in White Inn hotel in Kabale with some invisible involvement of the British. In that meeting was a very powerful Ugandan delegation that included the President YK Museveni. Unusual of him, being the disciplined General he is renowned to be, Gen Saleh arrived a bit late after some of the other big people had already sat. There was also an equally powerful Rwandan delegation. UPDF and the Rwandan forces had just had those violent clashes in Kisangani where the Rwandans for some time had an upper hand. A number of influential Ugandan military and business officials were being held hostage and they kept sending messages that their captors would possibly kill them any time since the two countries were now at war. They were actually being treated as prisoners of war. Among them was Saleh’s wife Joviah who had travelled for business errands as well as the influential Lira-based businessman Sam Engora who now is NRM Chairman for the northern region. The others were Ugandan military officials including Leuben Ikondere. On entering the meeting, Saleh who carried a riffle vowed to cause chaos (okukolawo akatisa) unless the Ugandans that were being held hostage were instantly released. Of course on the other side of the table, right opposite the Ugandan entourage, was the Rwandan leadership. Gen Saleh, on pleading to Museveni to forgive him for the unusual fury with which he spoke, turned to face the Rwandans and assured them it wasn’t going to be business as usual if the Ugandans weren’t released or if any of them was harmed.
He demanded that the Rwandan leadership immediately orders the signaler to send an urgent message to Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa, who was the RPF commander, to release the Ugandans before the meeting proceeds. The Rwandan officials dragged their feet on the matter, as Museveni pensively looked on, prompting Gen Saleh (who was unusually in a very belligerent mood) to twice slap one of the Rwandan officials. The Rwandan delegation kept quiet but nevertheless they reluctantly issued a directive for the Ugandans to be unconditionally freed. Moments after the meeting, Gen Saleh joked to some diplomats in the Ugandan delegation that he was sure for the two hot slaps he administered, the Rwandans would never forgive him. He vowed never to travel to Kigali or get involved in anything involving Rwandans rightly pointing out “they will always accuse me of bias and my impartiality will always be in question.” This simply is the reason why Gen Saleh can never be permitted or even trusted to play the role of neutral arbiter in any dispute where the Rwandans are involved.
