Nelson Nshangabasheija, the Kabale LC5 has expressed his disappointment by Rwanda’s actions of shooting on sight Ugandan traders who attempt to cross to their land.
Nshangabasheija noted that Ugandans at the Uganda /Rwanda border did a fundamental role in the liberation of Rwanda, which is common knowledge among the Rwandan leaders. However, killing Ugandans today is not a reward that the East African Country should be getting.
“We people living at Uganda/Rwanda border gave Rwandan soldiers aid and comfort when they were at war. Some of our people died in crossfire, our properties were destroyed,. We expected Rwanda to be good neighbors. Now they are killing our people, bringing us dead bodies to us. Really?” he wondered.
Nshangabasheija added that Rwandans and Ugandans are brothers and sisters because most of them intermarry, trade with each other and do other activities as one. He called them to remain one as they keep praying that the two freedom fighters President Museveni Kaguta of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame of Rwanda resolve the border impasse.
“We need to keep praying that the two freedom fighters agree because we need to end this situation. It’s not good to come here all the time receiving dead bodies, ” Nshangabasheija asserted.
Nshangabasheija made these comments on Sunday evening while receiving the body of a Ugandan businessman who was shot dead in Rwanda eleven days ago while he was allegedly smuggling movit products and waragi to Rwanda.
Justus Kadogo Kabagambe, 25, is the tenth Ugandan to be shot and killed by Rwandans since Rwanda closed her borders with Uganda on 27th of February 2019.
Chantal Marie Uwanyirigira, the Burera District Mayor who led the Rwandan delegation said that the deceased became aggressive after he was caught smuggling crude waragi commonly known as “ Kanyagyi” thus prompting the security officers to shoot him dead.
“When he was arrested, he became aggressive and wanted to fight the Rwandan security officials that later shot him dead. Smuggling items from Uganda into Rwanda is an offence that Ugandans must desist from,” Uwanyirigira said.
The Rwandan authorities also handed over an 11 year old boy, identified as Nohiri Mbesha, a resident of Butanda Sub County in Kabale District, whom they claimed was arrested in the same act of smuggling.
When asked about the exhibits to prove that the deceased was engaged in smuggling, the Rwandan security officials said that items got spoilt while the crude waragi spilled during the scuffle.
The deceased is survived by a wife Jane Tukahirwa, 25, and two children.
Kabale District authorities asked the relatives to immediately bury the body because it was already starting to decompose.
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