Upon arrival on Monday 6th December 2021, the deportees including 19 men, 6 women and 10 children narrated their ordeal where they endured torture in Uganda’s detention facilities accused of being spies. As they explained, some of their colleagues were killed.

It is said that espionage allegations are often raised against Rwandans after declining to join RNC terror group founded by Kayumba Nyamwasa.

On 29th November 2021, Uganda evicted more eight Rwandans after spending days in its detention facilities without consular access.

The recent deportation follows series of circumstances under which Uganda has been expelling Rwandans after enduring torture in its detention facilities accusing them of being spies yet they had traveled to the country to run businesses or visit relatives among other reasons.

In the past few months, Uganda handed over bodies of two Rwandans killed in the country.

The deceased include Theoneste Dusabimana, 52, hailing from Rubaya sector and Paul Bangirana, 47, from Kaniga sector. They were respectively killed on 30th August and 1st September 2021.

Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened since 2017. Rwanda has been expressing concerns over Rwandans who travel to Uganda for business purposes but are abducted, imprisoned and tortured accused of being spies.

Rwanda also accuses Uganda of hosting dissidents posing threat to national security.

In March 2019, the Government of Rwanda officially advised citizens not to travel to Uganda for their security following testimonies of over 1000 Rwandans tortured and deported from Uganda.

In August 2019, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame signed memorandum of understanding ‘Luanda Agreement’ in a bid to solve conflicts between both countries.

Despite efforts to sign the agreement between both heads of state witnessed by mediators including the President of Angola, Joao Lourenço and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the situation is still worsening as Uganda continues with arbitrary detention of Rwandans who are subjected to torture in its facilities.

Deportees arrived through Kagitumba border.