Two
suspected Rwanda Defense Forces-RDF soldiers have been arrested in Kamwezi Sub
County in Rukiga district. The suspects are Bosoce Ishimwe and Peter Sanvura,
both residents of Tabarwe in Nyagatare District, Rwanda.
The duo was picked up together with Silva Muhwezi, a resident of Kamwezi Sub
County. A security official told our reporter on condition of anonymity that the
suspects were arrested by a joint team of Uganda Police Force and Uganda
Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) Soldiers around midday on Sunday.
He says the suspects crossed into Uganda under the guise of attending
Muhwezi’s birth day party at Mpororo trading Centre in Kiruhura village. He
however, says the suspects instead went to Rwamatumguru Catholic Church to spy
on what was going on.
It is when Ugandan security, which was monitoring their movements swung into
action and apprehended them and whisked them away in a UPDF vehicle under tight
security to unknown location.
Both Richard Ecega, the Kigezi Region Police Commander and the Kigezi Region
Police Spokesperson, Elly Maate declined to comment and instead referred URN to
Uganda Police Spokesperson, Fred Enaga who couldn’t be reached by the time of
filing this story.
The arrest of the two suspected Rwandan spies comes a few days following the
shooting of two people by Rwandan Soldiers in Kamwezi. An unidentified Rwandan
soldier shot dead John Batista Nkyerengye, a resident of Nkoma cell, Ntabarwe
parish in Nyakatere District, Rwanda and Alex Nyesiga Atuheire, a resident of
Nyakabungo village in Kamwezi Sub County on Friday evening at Mpororo trading
Centre in Kiruhura village.
It all started when Rwandan soldiers crossed to Uganda to arrest unidentified
Rwandan smuggler for attempting to cross to Rwanda with second hand clothes.
A scuffle erupted after the Rwandan soldiers impounded the motorcycle
registration number RE736G, which the smuggler was using drawing protests from
residents who accused them of illegally crossing into Uganda’s territorial
boundary to conduct an arrest.
As a result, one of the soldiers drew his gun that was concealed in a long
jacket and opened fire killing Nkyerengye and Nyesiga. The Rwandan
soldiers attempted to retrieve Nkyerengye’s body prompting Uganda police to
shoot in the air forcing them to flee back into Rwanda.
The soldiers who were over 40 in number, managed to retreat with the
motorcycle, goods and unidentified Rwandan smuggler who had crossed into
Uganda. Uganda’s Foreign Ministry protested the incursion by Rwandan soldiers
on Uganda’s territory and asked Rwandan authorities to reprimand the implicated
officers.
However, Rwanda National Police and Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement
on Saturday evening refuting Uganda’s claims Rwanda insists that the incident
occurred at Tabangwe sector in Nyagatare district. The statement also
indicates that Rwandan security officers acted in self-defense when Nkyerengye
resisted arrest and turned violent with the help of a mob that crossed to
Rwanda from Uganda armed with machetes.
Rwanda also states that after Nkyerengye and Nyesiga were shot dead, no further
action was taken by security officials who were on patrol. There has been
heightened border security since the incident on Friday night. Uganda’s
Foreign Affairs Ministry is expected to have over Nkyerengye’s body to Rwanda
authorities later today at Katuna border.
-URN
