Rwanda has temporarily reopened its border at Gatuna for heavy trucks after it closed it in February this year due to road repairs that resulted in the diversion of heavy trucks to use other border points though Rwanda would later block entry of Ugandan goods on grounds that Kampala was supporting dissidents opposed to Kigali.
According to a statement released by the commissioner General of Rwanda Revenue Authority, Pascal Bizimana Ruganintwali, Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) petitioned revenue body to allow heavy trucks movement at Gatuna border from June 10-22, 201 to assess the operational of the constructed roads before reception by government.
“The management of Rwanda revenue authority is pleased to inform the general public that heavy trucks are allowed to provisionally cross Gatuna border point in order to facilitate this trial as requested by RTDA,” he said.
Analysts say Rwanda has run out of some items since it imports most of the products such as cement, still, food items and others which were blocked from entering within its borders.
The relationship between the two states is reportedly frosty following a series of events which officials from both countries said were aimed at undermining each other’s sovereignty.
Currently, there is raging border tensions between Uganda and Rwanda where Paul Kagame posed travel and blocking good from entering into the country, a move that contradicts the intentions that led to the formation of east African community (EAC), particularly the Common Market Protocol which allows free movement of goods and people across borders of EAC member countries.
Kagame’s government has always accused Museveni of facilitating the dissident group, Rwanda national congress (RNC) allegedly led by Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa who lives in South Africa.
“We have the information that Gen. Nyamwasa has for several times been travelling into the region including Uganda to meet some authorities and that is where our concern is,” he said Rwanda’s State Minister for East African Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe in march 2019 while in Zanzibar.
Recently Museveni and Kagame met in South Africa during the inauguration ceremony of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
