A Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) soldier survived lynching by an angry mob in Butanda sub county, Kabale district on accusations of trespassing into Ugandan soil while armed.
The soldier only identified as Private number 112574 Ndagijimana, attached to Alpha Taskforce of 17th Battalion ,501 brigade in Nyamicucu barracks Burera district, Northern province was intercepted by locals while on Ugandan soil of Kekubo in Butanda sub county at around 06:30 PM on Saturday evening.
Angry locals accused the soldier of crossing to Uganda with an intention of kidnapping Ugandans to take them to Rwanda for detention. Godfrey Nyakahuma, Kabale Resident District Commissioner confirms that Ndagijimana was saved by Mathias Arinetitwe alias Matiya, Butanda sub county Gomborora Internal Security Officer while already injured on the upper eye.
Nyakahuma says that Arineitwe first shot bullets in the air to disperse angry locals who seriously wanted to kill the soldier who was donning full Rwandan army combat gear.
Nyakahuma says that the soldier was also found armed with an AK 47 gun and 27 rounds of ammunition. Nyakahume also says that Ndajijimana is currently being detained at Kabale Central Police Station for questioning why he had crossed into Uganda moreover armed.
Nyakahuma hailed the locals for the improved vigilance against illegal entrants from Rwanda, following sensitization that was held in October this year by Kabale district security authorities.
The incident comes at a time when Private Ronald Arinda, a Uganda People’s Defense Forces-UPDF soldier attached to the Special Forces Command (SFC) is still being held in Rwanda.
Arinda ,23, a resident of Kakyerere in Ryakarmira town council Kabale district was on November 27, arrested from a cattle market in Burera district in Northern Province, a few meters away from the Uganda-Rwanda border.
Arinda who was on his official leave was tricked to cross to Rwanda by Rwandan security informers disguising as locals who live along borderline claiming that they had some cattle they wanted to sell him.
Rwandan security operatives have for many times been accused of crossing to Uganda and kidnaping Ugandans at gunpoint before whisking them to Rwanda for detention. Only this month, two Rwandan security operatives crossed about 100metres from the border to Buhoro village in Rwene parish, Buhara sub county, Kabale district, and arrested a 21, year-old Anthony Twijukye.
In May 2020, armed Rwandan security personnel crossed to Kitojo village, Katuna Town Council, and arrested Obed Nicholas Tugumisirize alias Kacucu.
The Uganda-Rwanda borders were closed by Rwandan President, Paul Kagame in February 2019. Kagame issued a travel advisory to his nationals against traveling to Uganda, saying their safety is not guaranteed.
He accused Ugandan authorities of abducting its citizens and locking them up in non-designated areas. Kagame also accused Uganda of hosting and facilitating dissidents especially from Rwanda National Congress-RNC and the Democratic Forces for the liberation of Rwanda FDLR, which have declared war on the Kigali government.