Uganda, Rwanda military officials meet over ADF, smuggling – The Kampala Report

Uganda and Rwanda military officials are set to hold a high-profile cross-border meeting.

The meeting will be held at the Las Vegas Hotel in Mbabara City. On Thursday, a delegation of Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) officials led by Brigadier General Nelson Rwigyema and Colonel Pascal Munyankindi  (2nd and 5th Division Commanders of RDF) were received at Katuna border by a delegation of Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) Commanders led by Brigadier General Paul Muwanguzi, the UPDF 2nd Infantry Division Commander.

The officials later held a closed-door meeting with District security officials led by Godfrey Nyakahuma, Kabale Resident District Commissioner.

Major Kiconco Tabaro, Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) 2nd Infantry Division Public Information Officer said that the meeting is aimed at discussing means of keeping both sides of the border peaceful and preventing negative elements like Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels from gaining access to both sides of the countries.  He also says that the meeting will review the progress of issues that were discussed during the cross-border security meeting held in Nyagatare district, Rwanda in May.

Tabaro adds that other issues to be discussed include curbing illegal entry and illicit trade along the borders.  He adds that the meeting will also focus on how to involve locals at the border to help in fighting against border crimes.

Uganda and Rwanda are steadily restoring relationships following the closure of the border between 2019-2022. In 2019, Rwandan President Paul Kagame ordered the closure of the border after accusing Ugandan authorities of spying on Rwanda, abducting Rwandan citizens and locking them in non-designated areas, as well as hosting and facilitating dissidents who have declared war on the Kigali administration.

Rwanda then issued a travel advisory to its nationals against travelling to Uganda, saying their safety was not guaranteed.

At the time the border was closed, five Ugandans were shot dead by Rwanda security personnel on accusations of carrying out smuggling.  On January 31, 2022, the Rwandan government resolved to re-open the border.

During the border closure, about six people both Ugandans and Rwandan nationals, were shot dead by Rwandan security operatives over smuggling. Even after the border re-opened, traders on the Ugandan side accused Rwandan authorities of blocking some of the goods, especially maize flour, from crossing into their country.

Cases of items smuggled to Uganda from Rwanda continue to be registered. On August 20, 2024, Kabale district security authorities arrested 18 cattle traders after they were found illegally transporting 38 cattle from the sub-counties of Rubaya, Butanda, and Ryakarimira Town Council to Kasese district.

The traders failed to explain why they had no travel documents for the cattle. Some of the cattle had tags indicating they were of Rwandan origin, which the traders could not account for.