· The much disputed Gatuna border post will be reopened next week ending nearly three years of standoff between Rwanda and Uganda. Rwanda closed its border with Uganda in February 2019.
· Rwanda warned its citizens from travelling to Uganda through the common border post of Gatuna/Katuna.
· The border closure, constrained trade and movement of people between the two countries.
The much-disputed Gatuna border post will be reopened next week ending nearly three years of standoff between Rwanda and Uganda. Rwanda closed its border with Uganda in February 2019. Rwanda warned its citizens from travelling to Uganda through the common border post of Gatuna/Katuna. The border closure, constrained trade and movement of people between the two countries.
Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation made the announcement following a meeting in Kigali between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and a Ugandan senior presidential adviser Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
According to the Rwandan foreign ministry statement, during the Jan. 22 visit of Muhoozi Kainerugaba to Kigali, the government of Rwanda and Uganda have agreed to review the issues. Accordingly, the statement informed that the Gatuna border post between Rwanda and Uganda will be reopened from Jan. 31, 2022.
The statement also mentioned that their land border posts between Rwanda and Uganda will also reopen. Health authorities of both countries have agreed to collaborate to decide on the appropriate measures to facilitate movement through the border in the context of COVID-19 preventive measures.
Rwanda authorities expressed their commitment to resolve outstanding issues between the two countries and hoped that the reopening of the border will lead to the speedy normalization of relations between Rwanda and Uganda.
Efforts to normalise the ties started when Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Kagame met in the Angolan capital Luanda, seven months after the border closure. The two leaders signed a memorandum of understanding, and a committee of ministers of foreign affairs and security officers from both countries was set up to review the matter.
