Ugandan Traders On Cloud 9 As Uganda- Rwanda Border Post Officially Reopens Today
By Uganda Online Media
Kampala: As the government of Rwanda is set to reopen the Gatuna- Katuna border post today, Ugandan traders are excited to resume business once again after nearly 3 years of closure.
This follows the announcement by the Rwanda Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement last week that the border post was set to be open today 31 January 2022.
Rwanda’s decision to reopen the Gatuna border post came days after Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba a Senior Presidential Adviser on Special Operations and Commander of Land Forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), visited Rwanda on 22nd January 2022, where he met President Paul Kagame in Kigali to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries which had deteriorated further since the 4th Quadripartite Summit held at Gatuna/Katuna on February 21, 2020.
“Following the visit to Rwanda of Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Senior Presidential Adviser on Special Operations and Commander of Land Forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) on 22nd January 2022, the Government of Rwanda has taken note that there is a process to solve issues raised by Rwanda, as well as commitments made by the Government of Uganda to address remaining obstacles,” Rwanda said in a statement.
“In this regard and in line with the communique of the 4th Quadripartite Summit held at Gatuna/Katuna on 21″ February 2020, the Government of Rwanda wishes to inform the public that the Gatuna border post between Rwanda and Uganda will be re-opened from 31st January 2022,” the statement added.
“As is the case for other land border posts in the country, health authorities of Rwanda and Uganda will work together to put in place necessary measures to facilitate movement in the context of COVID-19.”
“The Government of Rwanda remains committed to ongoing efforts to resolve pending issues between Rwanda and Uganda and believes that today’s announcement will contribute positively to the speedy normalization of relations between the two countries.”
The move to reopen the border, which has been among the key issues at the center of relations between the two countries, has sent a strong signal that the neighbors could be moving towards resolving the issues that have crippled relations in recent years.
Meanwhile, these came a few days after Gen Yoweri Museveni transferred some of the individuals accused by Rwanda of being behind acts that target innocent Rwandans in Uganda, notably Maj. Gen. Abel Kandiho, the former head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
Maj. Gen Kandiho was removed from his position and posted to South Sudan as a special envoy and replaced by Maj Gen James Birungi at CMI. He had been accused by Rwanda of being behind the witch-hunt targeting Rwandans inside Uganda, arbitrarily arresting them on accusations of espionage and detaining them incommunicado. He was also accused of working with subversive groups looking to destabilize Rwanda.
