David Bahati, the state Minister for Planning in the Ministry of Finance has assured Ugandan, yet again, that the Rwandan government may reopen the closed borders with Uganda soon.
While speaking on a radio talk show at Voice of Kigezi FM on Saturday evening, Bahati revealed that the Ugandan government in working hand in hand with their Rwanda counterparts to have the borders opened.
“When someone closes his border, you don’t force him to open. He will do it on his choice. But the Ugandan government led by President Yoweri Museveni has been engaging Kigali so that the borders are reopened. I want to let the people of Katuna and Uganda at large know that we expect the border to open so soon for business to resume as usual,” Bahati was quoted saying.
Ruhakana Rugunda, the Prime Minister of Uganda last month while meeting the National Resistance Movement party delegates at Butobere secondary school in Kabale town revealed that President Museveni was handling the matter of the closed borders himself with his Rwandan counterpart, president Paul Kagame.
He described Museveni and Kagame as brothers.
Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations was sent by Museveni to Rwanda at the eve of 2020 to deliver some message that would end months of tensions between the two countries.
Uganda and Rwanda are involved in an ongoing diplomatic row that has seen both countries’ Presidents accuse each other of espionage, political killings and attacking trade.
Rwanda –Uganda borders have been closed since late February last.
Business along the borders has been crippled since then. The movement of people and goods along the borders has also greatly declined.
According to the Uganda’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Uganda exported nearly a $250m worth of goods and services to Rwanda in the financial year that ended on June 30, 2018.
Surprisingly, the exports fell to just shy of $174m during the 2019 financial year.
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