Rwanda To Reopen Uganda Land Border After Three-Year Closure

Rwanda said Friday it will reopen its land border with Uganda next week after a three-year closure, a major breakthrough in efforts to repair ties between the neighbours.

The move followed a visit to Kigali by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s powerful son Muhoozi Kainerugaba last weekend, when he and Rwandan President Paul Kagame pledged to restore relations.

The border between the two East African nations was abruptly closed in February 2019 as political tensions between Kigali and Kampala spiralled, devastating two-way trade.

Rwanda’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the main Gatuna border post, known as Katuna in Uganda, would reopen on January 31.

Following Kainerugaba’s visit, the government “has taken note that there is a process to solve issues raised by Rwanda, as well as commitments made by the government of Uganda to address remaining obstacles”, it said.

“The government of Rwanda remains committed to ongoing efforts to resolve pending issues between Rwanda and Uganda and believes that today’s announcement will contribute positively to the speedy normalisation of relations between the two countries.”

There was no immediate comment from the Ugandan government, but it retweeted the Rwandan statement on its official account.