RUKIGA – A survivor of the weekend incident where two Ugandans were shot dead by Rwandan security forces at the Rwanda-Uganda border has denied ever assaulting the Rwandan security forces, which forced them to shoot at the former.
Job Ebindishanga and Bosco Tuheirwe were shot dead on the Rwanda side of the border, about 1km away from Uganda’s Mpororo border post in Kamwezi Sub-county, Rukiga District. On Sunday, Rwandan police said they shot the two Ugandans in Nyagatare District after they assaulted patrol police who intercepted them as smugglers.
However, one of the survivors, Mr Christopher Byamukama, said that they pleaded for forgiveness but the Rwandan police still shot them.
“I was in the company of Aron Ainebyoona, Emmanuel Niwagaba, Ebyarishanga and Tuheirwe on that day as we smuggled raw tobacco into Rwanda. We were first intercepted by local defence operatives who quizzed us why we had crossed from Uganda to Rwanda with smuggled tobacco,” Mr Byamukama said on Monday.
“We did not assault any Rwandan security official. We pleaded for forgiveness but the local defence operatives alerted security officials at Nyagatare District headquarters in Rwanda. When the security operatives from Nyagatare arrived, they started shooting at us without asking for any explanation,” he added.
When their colleagues were shot, he and others ran back to Uganda under the cover of darkness.
Rukiga Resident District Commissioner Prikeria Muhindo Mwiine said the bodies of the deceased will be brought back on Tuesday.
“Uganda and Rwanda are working on the modalities of bringing back the bodies that are currently in Rwanda. The latest information I got is that Rwandans are still investigating what exactly happened and they might release them on Tuesday [today]. We had thought they would release the bodies on Monday [yesterday] but the Rwandan authorities said it may not be possible,” she said.
