Eastern Province residents neighbouring the border with Tanzania have urged to avoid using porous borders to illegally cross into the neighbouring country.

The call was made Tuesday by the Provincial Governor, Fred Mufulukye, and the regional commander of Rwanda Defence Force, Maj. Gen. Mubarak Muganga during a meeting with residents of Nyamugali and Rwimiyaga sectors in Kirehe and Nyagatare districts, respectively.

The western part of Tanzania that neighbours Rwanda is dominated by game reserves and national parks and some people from the Rwandan side work with their neighbours from across to poach from the parks and encroach on the environment.

Others, Muganga said, commit more serious crimes like smuggling and theft.

"Security is foundation of everything, without it, life is not complete at all,” he said to residents of Nyamugali.

Governor Mufulukye said that there are legally provided means for people to cross into Tanzania.

"Some of them have friends across, but they should remember that it is in another country and laws must be respected,” he said adding that one person from the area is currently on trial in Tanzania for crimes committed there.

Five of the 12 sectors that make up Kirehe District share a border with Tanzania.

Jean Bosco Habineza, resident of Cyamunyana cell, Rwimiyaga sector in Nyagatare District, said some even go there for charcoal burning, among other offenses while others have lost their lives in the process.

"A few days ago, we were at a funeral of a 35 year old man who was killed poaching, he left five children. You can now imagine how his family will suffer for no one to provide for them,” he said.

He said that most of these people even do not do anything meaningful with the money they get from across the border.

"The money they bring is spent on drinking, it is too little,” he said.

Others have crossed into Tanzania and simply not returned home.

Claudine Nyirabaganizi, 38, mother of four, whose husband left her for illegal visit to neighbor land, said he went in 2016 but she does not know where he is now.

"There is nothing actually across the border, because even those who manage to come back bring nothing worth wasting time on, they come back paupers,” she said.

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