Rwanda to reopen border with Uganda after three years
January 28, 2022
Rwanda will reopen its main border with Uganda on Monday, authorities have announced.
It abruptly closed the Gatuna-Katuna border in 2019, after accusing Uganda of abducting Rwandans and supporting rebels seeking to topple President Paul Kagame.
Uganda denied the accusation and instead blamed Rwanda of infiltrating its security agencies.
The reopening, announced on Twitter on Friday, comes after the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Lieutenant General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, visited Kagame over the weekend.
"Rwanda has taken note that there is a process to solve issues raised by Rwanda, as well as commitments made by the government of Uganda to address remaining obstacles," Rwanda's Foreign Ministry stated.
Museveni has also sacked his military intelligence chief, who Rwanda had persistently criticized.
Rwanda-Uganda border vital link in regional trade
The border closure has severely disrupted trade links in the region.
Ugandan goods, including food, liquor and cement, dominated the Rwandan market before the closure of the border.
Rwanda primarily relies on a transport corridor that runs from the Kenyan port of Mombasa and on through Uganda.
The same road also funnels goods through Rwanda to Burundi and eastern Congo.
During the standoff, Uganda accused Rwanda of an effective trade embargo.
Failed talks to ease tensions between Kagame and Museveni were previously hosted by Angola and Congo.
"There is hope, but people should not think that these issues will end in two days because the problems are bigger," Rwanda's government spokesperson, Alain Mukurarinda, told DW News.
Uganda did not comment on the move, but it retweeted Rwanda's Foreign Ministry statement.
lo/aw (AFP, AP, Reuters)