This week, the deteriorating relations between Uganda and Rwanda resurfaced when it was disclosed that Uganda had written a letter to the British government allegedly claiming that Rwanda was planning to attack it. The media in the region responded with comments that liken the hostilities to a family feud.
An opinion writer in The Monitor, an independent Ugandan newspaper, says this "rivalry has gone on for so long now that suspicion, mistrust and jealousy have replaced understanding".
He likens it to a feud "between brothers or sisters hewn from the same rock", who "prefer to resolve conflicts by military means rather than dialogue".
"Unfortunately, common sense is not one of the strong points of men who take pride in their military prowess," he says.
Calm down
But an editorial in the pro-government New Vision of Uganda says reports of deteriorating relations have been blown out of proportion.
"Some forces are still trying to whip up a war of words between Rwanda and Uganda but we should never forget how close and dependent on each other the two countries are.
"The reality is that both countries need each other and cannot afford to let the present spate of rumours and accusations escalate into anything more serious," the paper says.
'Acrimonious divorce'
The pan-African website, allAfrica.com, carries an editorial which traces the relationship between the two nations to the period they spent fighting together as opposition against their respective governments.
"They fought together in the bush, developed very close, informal, personal ties ...and relations between Uganda and Rwanda continue to be run as if it was a household," the editorial says.
It adds that they often display the anger similar to that of an "acrimonious divorce".
A letter in Uganda's New Vision says there is no reason "for the Kigali junta to be so jittery as to throw away norms of cordial relationships ...for the sake of illusive objectives".
He adds that Rwanda should "gracefully swallow the shock and mockery "of being called a hostile country and "learn to live with Uganda as a good neighbour would".
"The Kigali leadership should read the writing on the wall and avoid embarking on any action, for which it has to ultimately repent", the writer warns.
In the regional newspaper, The East African, a Rwandan official, apparently responding to the said letter, comments that it is unfortunate that the Ugandan head of state "should go to such an extent to undermine a brotherly country".
Goodwill
Another commentary in The Monitor says Uganda is seeking "peaceful avenues for dialogue" by consulting regional leaders.
"This approach flies in the face of those who have been shouting themselves hoarse that President Yoweri Museveni is taking Uganda into another war and is the aggressor," the paper says. "In fact we should equally commend efforts by the Rwandans to improve relations between the two nations.
"The goodwill from the majority of people in both countries is immense... and Ugandans and Rwandans should do everything possible to ensure the situation does not get out of hand," the paper says.
It points out that neither Uganda nor Rwanda can afford or gain from a full-scale border war.
"There would be neither victor nor vanquished; we would all perish like fools", the paper says.
BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.