KIGALI - Following reports in the Ugandan media alleging that members of Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) cross into Ugandan territory with fire arms, the Military Spokesperson has come up to ‘strongly deny these allegations.

During an interview yesterday, Maj Jill Rutaremara said that these were malicious rumors aimed at tarnishing the image of the force.

It was reported in Daily Monitor, a Ugandan daily newspaper that the presence and regular crossing of RDF troops in the Ugandan border sub-counties of Buhara and Rubaya was causing ‘fear’ among the residents.

"There are no RDF soldiers who either crossed into Uganda with their arms or who shot bullets across into Rubaya sub-county in Kabale District,” said Rutaremara.

He said that the residents are fronting such accusation with an intention of frustrating the RDF’s initiative of cracking down on the illegal importation and smuggling of crude waragi from Uganda to Rwanda by some Ugandan traders who have been trading with some Rwandans.

"There has been smuggling of waragi from Kabale district in Uganda into Rwanda. Some Ugandans have been selling it to Rwandans on credit and at a relatively cheap price, Rwandans would then sell it on a relatively high retail price and pay later,” he reiterated.

He added that of late the RDF has intensified patrols along the common border and either impounded or deterred some individuals from crossing with the commodity, sparking the population in the area which relies mostly on the sale of waragi to frustrate these efforts.

"The effectiveness of these patrols led them to start this smear campaign against the RDF as a way of injuring its credibility…that is why they are alleging that they frequently see the Rwandan soldiers moving with their guns in pretext of hunting for smugglers of local brew ‘waragi’.

The article had also contended that the Rwandan soldiers had earlier on fired shots in Rubaya Sub County not injuring any body, and that RDF commanders consequently crossed and apologized, a thing he strongly refutes.

"Who apologized and to whom did he apologize? Nothing about this accusation is clear; it is just an attempt to taint the RDF force; "No RDF Commanders crossed into Uganda to apologize for there wasn’t anything to apologize about,” he added.

According to the Daily Monitor article, the sale of this liquor, which has since been banned in Rwanda, is the main source of income for the residents of Rubaya and Ruhara, the two sub-counties in question.

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