Rwanda's High Commissioner in Uganda, Frank Mugambage on Thursday termed as ridiculous the reported arrest of more than 40 Rwandans in Kampala in an operation mounted by the country’s military intelligence operatives.

Ugandan newspapers on Wednesday reported that the Rwandans were seized from a church in the Kibuye area within the city of Kampala in a security swoop by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), with support from Uganda Police.

Arbitrary arrests of Rwandans in Uganda are now a common occurrence where thousands have been arrested over the past one year with no access to basic rights like consular services, legal counsel or familial visits.

Many of these have after spending months in different detention facilities been dumped at the Rwandan border, majority of them after undergoing torture at the hands of Ugandan security operatives.

On the latest incident, Mugambage said, that a note verbale was on Thursday morning sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala inquiring about the arrested Rwandans and their identities.

"We have written and raised the matter with officials here [Kampala] of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that they can intervene and tell us what is going on. We are still following up.”

We want them to tell us what the whole thing is all about because it is ridiculous that a whole church can be arrested and it is said that they are spies.”

The envoy explained that ever since they got wind of the matter, his office had been also trying to follow up and at least obtain names of the people arrested "but we haven’t been able.” 

He said that there have been many arbitrary arrests and this is a continuation of what has been happening.

Last month, a Rwandan couple and a teacher who were illegally arrested and tortured by Ugandan security agencies filed a lawsuit against the Ugandan government at the East African Court of Justice, one of the organs of the East African Community, seeking compensation.

Several of the victims have accused Uganda’s security agencies of seizing their identification and travel documents only to turn around and accuse them of illegal entry.

Crackdown of Rwandan nationals in Uganda has exacerbated in the wake of growing evidence of Uganda’s support for armed groups seeking the destabilise Rwanda, including genocidal FDLR, RNC and other armed elements with bases in eastern DR Congo under what they call P5.

Testimonies from arrested rebel leaders – including FDLR’s spokesperson Ignace Nkaka, alias La Forge Fils Bazeye, and head of intelligence Lt Col Jean-Pierre Nsekanabo, have provided details of how Uganda is facilitating talks between RNC, FDLR and other anti-Rwanda groups with view to joining hands in destabilising Rwanda.

The two were arrested by Congolese security on their way from a meeting with RNC operatives in Kampala. The meeting was attended by a Uganda’s state minister for regional affairs Phelomon Mateke.

A UN report released last December confirmed that Uganda was a major source of recruits for Rwandan rebel outfits based in eastern DR Congo.

Kampala has continuously denied this.

But President Museveni admitted in a letter to his Rwandan counterpart in March that he had "accidentally” met leaders of one of the armed groups in his office in Kampala.

FDLR is an offshoot of the forces that committed that 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in which over a million people lost their lives.

The RNC is a terrorist group formed by dissidents and is blamed for grenade attacks that killed at least 17 people and wounded some 400 others in Rwanda between 2010 and 2014.

In March, Rwanda issued a travel advisory to Uganda saying it could no longer guarantee the safety of its citizens while there.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com