While the border has been closed, some Rwandans have been using illegal routes to cross into Uganda/BBC
There is fury among residents of Maziba Sub County in Kabale district following the invasion of Rwandan nationals who have planted eucalyptus trees on one of the hills in the area.
According to residents, an unspecified number of Rwandan nationals from Gisuru village in Nyagatare district, Nothern Province illegally crossed into the area early this year and grabbed two hectares of land on Kyaninanuunu hill in Rukore village, Kahondo parish, five kilometers inside Uganda’s territory.
They cleared the land and planted eucalyptus trees. Leopold Twesigye, a concerned resident of Kahondo, says that with the protection of uniformed Rwandan security personnel, the Rwandan nationals kept returning to weed the trees.
He says that as locals they ignored the invasion until last month when the Rwandan nationals threatened to expand their tree plantations and ordered locals to vacate their land after harvesting their crops.
Twesigye says that part of the land occupied by the Rwandans belongs to Ugandan nationals while the other is public land they have been using for grazing. He claims that the Rwandan national targeted the village with a hilly topography, which cannot be accessed easily by Ugandan security.
Moses Bikorwomuhangi, the Maziba sub-county LC V councillor, says that as local leaders they are very angry with the Rwandan invaders. Bikorwomuhangi says that locals tried to resist the invasion in vain because the Rwandan nationals were under the protection of armed personnel.
Sarah Tumubweine, another resident of Rukire village accuses the Rwandan nationals of attempting to uproot British Protectorate (BP) 34-mark stone that separates Uganda and Rwanda to extend their territory inside Uganda.
Godfrey Nyakahuma, the Kabale Resident District Commissioner, says that the District Security Committee is aware of the problem. Nyakahuma says that security officials visited Kyanyinanuunu hill in Rukore village last week and saw the two hectares of land grabbed by the Rwandan nationals.
According to Nyakahuma, they have ordered the tree owners to uproot them from Ugandan soil when they found a Rwandan national only identified as John Bosco guarding the land. He reportedly claimed that the tree owners are ignorant about the boundary. Nyakahuma says that the act of the Rwandan nationals is a clear provocation against Uganda.
Nyakahuma says that security officials will return to the hill in two weeks’ time to confirm whether the trees have been uprooted, adding that in case the Rwandan nationals don’t comply, they will forward the matter to the relevant ministries for handling.
According to Nyakahuma, in addition to grabbing Ugandan land, Rwandan nationals have been crossing to Maziba through Mukokye and Kavu porous borders to steal goats, cows and iron sheets from resident’s homes.
Chris Baryomunsi, Minister for Information Communication Technology (ICT) and National Guidance says that the government through surveying experts will conduct thorough investigations into the dispute and liaise with the Rwandan government to resolve the matter because the Uganda-Rwanda borderline is visible and clear.
On February 27, 2019, Rwanda closed its borders with Uganda following by an advisory by President, Paul Kagame to his nationals against travelling to Uganda, saying their safety is not guaranteed. He accused Ugandan authorities of abducting Rwandan citizens and locking them up in non-designated areas.
He also accused Uganda of hosting and facilitating dissidents especially from Rwanda National Congress-RNC and the Democratic Forces for the liberation of Rwanda FDLR, which have declared war on the Kigali government. However, Rwandan nationals have continued crossing to Uganda illegally.
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