Rwanda reopens its border with Uganda closed since 2019

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Rwanda reopens its border with Uganda closed since 2019

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni (L) and Rwandan President Paul Kagame (R) during a meeting at the Gatuna border post, July 6, 2001 afp_tickers

This content was published on January 31, 2022 – 09:35

(AFP)

Rwanda on Monday reopened its land border with Uganda, which was closed nearly three years ago, paving the way for the normalization of relations between the two East African neighbors.

On Friday, after a meeting in Kigali on January 22 between Muhuzi Kaynerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the main border post in Gatuna (known as Katuna in Uganda) officially reopened at midnight, the Rwandan authorities announced.

Rwanda abruptly closed its border with its northern neighbor in February 2019 amid political tensions between the two countries, cutting off an important trade route.

Rwanda accuses Uganda of kidnapping its own citizens and supporting rebels seeking to overthrow Kagame.

Uganda in turn accused Rwanda of spying and killing two men during a raid on its territory in May 2019.

Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni were close allies during the 1980s and 1990s in their countries’ power struggle, before they became rivals.

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