Kisumu,8/10/2007
 
PEACE MEETING BETWEEN UGANDA AND CONGO OVER DISPUTED OIL FIELD FAILED TO TAKE OFF.

By Leo Odera Omolo

A very crucial meeting between Energy Ministers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda over the disputed Oil wells in the border area of Lake Albert was suddenly cancelled after Kinshasa withdrew its delegation to the talk.

The meeting was called by Uganda to defuse tension with the Congo after two shooting incidents in as many mouths along their border on Lake Albert an important new frontier in the search for Oil wealth.

The talks to review a 1990 Oil explanation and exploitation agreement between the neighboring countries were due to start on October 3rd 2007 in Kampala.

"We have received the information from the DRC saying they were still carrying out consultations within the government," the Ugandan Energy Minister Daudi Migereka was quoted in the local media as having said.

"We waited for the (Congolese delegation) and we shall continue waiting for them.When they are through with their consultations we shall be ready to sit down and discuss."

Congolese officials were also quoted in the same context as saying that their Energy Minister Lambert Mende Omalanga was unable to attend the planned meeting because of other commitments but they did not elaborate

Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo are sitting on what prospectors believe could be the longest oil reserves of up to one billion barrels in the Lake Albert Basin, which is technically shared between the two countries borderline.

In the most recent border shooting last month UPDF saw one Congolese soldier killed and one Ugandan wounded when a rescue mission vessel that had been seized by MONUC, the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo.

Un officials, however, said six civilians were also killed when Ugandan soldiers opened fire on a Congolese passenger boat on Lake Albert.

MONUC justified its seizure of the boat belonging to Heritage Oil Company claiming it had crossed into Congolese waters an allegation the company denies.

Uganda later sent a protest note to MONUC, while the Congolese government protested to Uganda

The border row expose longest suspension on both sides stemming from Congo 1998-2003 war with Uganda.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com