Commenting on the recent decision to reopen the Gatuna border, President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, said that the move was delayed by the fact that some outstanding issues that led to its closure three years ago had remained unresolved for long.
The President pointed out that Rwanda did not spontaneously close the border, but did so because of serious concerns they had and which they presented to their counterparts but did not react.
The issues raised with Uganda include the persecution of innocent Rwandans in Uganda by security services and the support to elements aimed at destabilizing Rwanda.
Kagame disclosed that during a meeting with an envoy from Uganda, commitments were made to address the issues affecting relations between the two countries.
“I maintained that opening the border would be good but doing so without addressing the reason it was closed would be wrong. We agreed that the reasons for the closure will be addressed. The border has been reopened and Uganda has been taking steps to resolve the issues,” the President said.
The decision to reopen the border was preceded by a meeting between Uganda’s Senior Presidential Advisor for Special Operations, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and President Kagame in Kigali.
“We will keep monitoring the progress, and work together to fully open the border when the Covid-19 situation allows us to do so,” Kagame added.
