Hours before the Government of Rwanda, on Thursday, January 27, announced it will re-open its main border with Uganda as part of efforts to restore bilateral ties, Ugandan security officials illegally deported 58 Rwandan nationals. 

The group, which also includes a Burundian national, was dumped at the Kagitumba border post, contrary to standard procedure under international law.  

The latest group to be expelled by Uganda include 47 men, six women and five children.

The New Times understands that the Rwandan High Commission in Kampala was not informed of the move – as was the case with most other previous cases of illegal deportations of Rwandan nationals by Uganda.

Most of those who have been unlawfully deported before have recounted harrowing tales of mistreatment and torture while in detention centres.

Rwanda decided to re-open the Gatuna border post less than a week after the visit of  Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the senior presidential adviser on Special Operations and Commander of Land Forces of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). 

While in Kigali, Kainerugaba, who is also the first born of President Yoweri Museveni, held talks with President Paul Kagame with a view to normalise relations between the two countries.

Rwanda issued an advisory against travel to Uganda in March 2019, accusing Kampala of arbitrary arresting its nationals before subjecting them to torture and detention without trial. 

Kigali also said the Ugandan government was actively supporting terrorist groups, including Kayumba Nyamwasa’s RNC, RUD-Urunana, among others. These armed groups, which recruited fighters from refugee camps inside Uganda, were blamed for several deadly incursions on Rwandan territory. 

For at least three years now, many Rwandan nationals have narrated how they were kidnapped and locked up in CMI’s secret detentionfacilities or "safe houses” and tortured.  

CMI is the Ugandan military intelligence wing.

More than 20 Rwandans were killed in various parts of Uganda, since April 2019, according to information from different sources, including relatives of the victims by last September.