President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said Rwandan spies arrested in Uganda will not be handed over to Rwandan government. Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, met at the Katuna/Gatuna border at the fourth quadripartite summit to attempt to resolve the soured diplomatic issues between the two neighbouring states.
Rwanda closed her borders with Uganda in February 2019, and also advised its citizens against travelling to Uganda, saying their government cannot guarantee their safety. At the Katuna/Gatuna border on Friday, Museveni and Kagame signed an extradition treaty which constitutes the legal framework to handle cases of justice including nationals engaged in subversive activities in either country.
But shortly after, while addressing locals at Kyonyo in Katuna town council and Kabale-Katuna roundabout in Kabale town, Museveni said Uganda will only hand over Rwandans arrested for minor crimes but not those arrested for capital offences such as murder, rape and espionage.
Museveni further said that he felt sorry for citizens in both countries who are suffering because of the closed border. In a tweet, Museveni urged the nationals to be patient saying the “truth” will eventually come out because his “NRM government stands for the truth.” Since the closure of the border, several Rwandan and Ugandan nationals who attempted to cross into and out of Rwanda through the porous borders have been shot dead by Rwandan security forces. There has been a reported spike in prices and shortage of goods in Rwanda since the border closure.
Museveni also distanced Uganda from having any links with Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, the leader of Rwanda National Congress (RNC) that is plotting to overthrow Kagame’s government.
Rwanda has consistently accused Uganda of hosting dissidents especially from the RNC and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, who have declared war on the Kagame-administration. But Museveni stated that he, and the Ugandan government, have no relations with Nyamwasa and his allies and neither is he interested in their conflicts with Kagame.
Museveni said that all he knows is that Nyamwasa fell out with Kagame and fled to South Africa for asylum. He added that he was not aware if Nyamwasa and his allies are passing through Uganda to destabilize Rwanda.
Among the Katuna/Gatuna summit resolutions Uganda is supposed to investigate Rwanda’s allegations of harbouring and facilitating dissidents within 30 days and then thereafter the border could be reopened within 15 days. Uganda accuses Rwanda of infiltrating its security agencies including the police, army and intelligence to carry out espionage activities.
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