Border shootings, kidnaps dominate headlines in Kigezi

The year 2019 has not been good for Ugandans living on the border with Rwanda.

The closure of the Uganda-Rwanda border has affected residents in the districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Rubanda and Rukiga in various ways.

The Rwandan government in February closed its borders with Uganda, accusing the latter of supporting rebels intent on destabilising the former. Rwanda also Uganda of arbitrarily arresting its citizens on trumped up charges. Uganda denies all the claims.

Consequently, the border points of Cyanika in Kisoro District, Gatuna in Kabale and Mirama Hills in Ntungamo were closed to cargo trucks. Rwanda also blocked its citizens from coming to Uganda.

The closure saw the traders on both sides resort to smuggling as means of survival. This resulted in the shooting dead of several Rwandans and Ugandans as they attempted to stealthily move across the borders.

On March 28, Elizabeth Mukarugwiza, a 37-year-old Rwandan national, collapsed and died about 300 meters on Ugandan territory in Kisoro District as she tried to run away from Rwandan security officials that wanted to stop her from entering Uganda.

As tension between the two countries escalated, Innocent Ndahimana, a 41-year-old Rwandan businessman, was in May shot and injured by Rwandan security officials as he tried to smuggle about 500Kgs of beans into Uganda through a border point in Rubaya Sub-county, Kabale District.

In the same month, Alex Nyesiga, 32, a resident of Nyakabungo Cell in Kamwezi Sub-county, Rukiga District, and John Batista Kyerengye, a Rwandan national, were shot dead by Rwandan security operatives for smuggling secondhand clothes into Rwanda.

On June 7, Rwandan Revenue Authority announced that Gatuna border would be reopened from June 10 to June 22 as they assessed the operationalisation of the new one-stop-border point, which had been undergoing reconstruction for several months. This created excitement among the traders but it was short lived as the border was closed again after 10 days.

On July 30, President Museveni, while addressing journalists at his Kabale State lodge, said bilateral talks between Ugandan and Rwandan leaders were ongoing to ensure that the cross border trade was revived. “Recently, we met the Rwandan leader in Angola and we discussed about the border issue. Leave it with us. Talks shall continue until the matter is completely resolved,” Mr Museveni said.

Despite the pledge, the shooting of Ugandans in Rwanda continued. On November 9, Job Ebyarishanga and Bosco Tuheirwe, both residents of Rukiga District, were shot dead about 1Km in Rwanda by the country’s security operatives who claimed that the two were smuggling raw tobacco.

While handing over the deceased’s bodies to the Ugandan authorities on November 12, the Mayor of Nyagatare District in Rwanda, Mr Claudian Mushabe, said the deceased attempted to fight the Rwandan police before they were shot dead.

The border closure also affected trade in Kigezi Sub-region.

The town clerk for Katuna Town Council, Mr Eric Sunday, said they lost a lot of revenue from taxes.

“We have been earning about Shs1.2m per month from parking fees paid by the long route trailers. We have been getting local hotel tax, trading licence, and property tax, among others, during the normal business days,” he said.

“But ever since the border was closed, we are all at a standstill. Katuna Town Council has been getting Shs1.5m per month from its daily market of Akensiyona where the majority customers were from Rwanda but ever since the Rwandans were denied entry into Uganda, the market has been limping,” Mr Sunday said.

Ugandans with relatives across the border have since complained that the border closure has killed family unity since those in Rwanda are denied to cross to Uganda for gatherings such as burials and weddings.

On November 27, 31 Rwandan nationals were deported through Cyanika border post after they pleaded guilty before the Kisoro Grade One Magistrate Raphael Vueni of being in Uganda without travel documents.

Kisoro District security officials carried out an operation on November 26 and arrested several foreigners without travel documents. Among those arrested were 35 Rwandans and four Congolese. A total of 31 Rwandans pleaded guilty to the offence while four Rwandans pleaded not guilty and were remanded to prison. Four Congolese also pleaded guilty to the charges.

Kidnaps
An key event that dominated Kigezi Sub-region is kidnaps executed by armed Congolese men.
The most high profile one was that of an American tourist, Ms Kimbley Sue Endecott, and her driver, Mr Jean Paul Mirenge.

On April 2, four armed men suspected to be Congolese nationals ambushed a tourist van in Queen Elizabeth National Park and kidnapped the duo. They were released after ransom was paid.

On April 22, the militias kidnapped two Ugandans and released them after their families paid ransom worth Shs3.5m. Two school children, who were kidnapped in July, were released after their parents paid ransom worth Shs2 million.

Akim Niwagaba, 13, and Ramathan Ayinamani, 10, pupils of Ntungamo Primary School in Butogota Town Council in Kanungu District were kidnapped by two Congolese militiamen, armed with AK 47 rifles. Mr Jackson Tukahirwa, an uncle of the kidnapped pupils, said the family received their children on Sunday around 8:30pm after they had walked about two kilometres into DRC.