KABALE – Rwandan security forces on Sunday, November 3, 2019, shot and injured their citizen attempting to cross the border from Uganda.
Jean Piere Havugimana, 28, a resident of Kabaya village, Rubaya Sub County, Gicumbi district in Rwanda, was shot while carrying 50kgs of Irish potatoes, about 300 meters in Rwanda from the Uganda border.
Despite being injured, he ran back to the Ugandan side and went to his relatives in Rushaki A village Karujanga Parish in Rubaya Sub County, Kabale District, who rushed him to Katuna Community Medical Clinic where he is undergoing treatment.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Havugimana, 28, claims that he had crossed to Uganda during the day in company of a friend identified as Mahirwe in search for Irish potatoes and during evening hours, decided to cross back to Rwanda through a porous border point.
It’s at that time that they were intercepted and shot at, injuring him in the left shoulder.
Elly Maate, the Kigezi region police spokesperson, confirmed the incident.
The case has been registered at Kabale police under file number CRB 1729/2019.
Rwandan soldiers have intensified patrols on the borders since February.
Since the border was closed, many Rwandans have been arrested, detained or shot dead while attempting to cross to Uganda.
Since border closure in late February this year, Kigali advised its citizens never to cross to Uganda, saying Kampala was torturing her innocent citizens living in Uganda.
However, efforts to bring calm between Kigali and Kampala have been happening. A month ago, President Kagame and his Uganda counterpart Yoweri Museveni signed a pact in Angola aimed at ending months of tensions.
In mid-September, a meeting was convened in Kigali and both nations Uganda and Rwanda reportedly agreed to open borders soon.
In early June this year, Uganda reported that it had lost more than $664 million’s worth of exports to Rwanda while Kigali had lost $104 million during the three months the Gatuna border has been closed.
