Immigration authorities in Rwanda have deported three Ugandan nationals for illegally entering the country, being the latest incident amidst strained relations between Kigali and Kampala, according to an official correspondence obtained by APA on Tuesday.
The deported Ugandan national who was identified as Ivan Niringiyimana, Beatha Nyiramuco and Nicolas Tumwisigye all residents of Kisoro District, Bufumbira County west, Cyahi Sub County, Gahuru Village, the deportation notice signed by the Director General of Immigration and Emigration, François Régis Gatarayiha said.
“The [Rwanda] Directorate General of Immigration has issued you with a deportation order and declared you a prohibited immigrant,” the statement said.
The deportation comes after Rwanda last week repatriated the bodies of two Ugandan traders killed near the border as they attempted to enter the country at an unapproved point.
According to the Rwandan police, the alleged smugglers became violent and assaulted officers who reacted in self-defense, shooting dead two while the rest escaped.
The incident comes amidst strained relations between Kigali and Kampala.
In August this year, – Rwandan President Paul Kagame met his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in the Angolan capital city Luanda where the two leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at smoothening relations between the two countries.
In a statement issued at the end of their meeting that was also witnessed by the leaders of Angola João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo, and Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso, said that “the summit welcomed the political will of (Rwanda and Uganda) to continue dialogue with a view to finding a solution to existing problems.”
In the meanwhile, Rwandan authorities have advised its citizens against traveling to Uganda because of safety concerns, despite the two countries mending fences at the Luanda regional summit.
The authorities in Kampala were accused of hosting, sponsoring, and abetting armed militias – more specifically the Rwanda National Congress (RNC) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) who are waging a war on the government in Kigali.
Kampala denies the accusations.
CU/as/APA