NYAGATARE - Cases of broken marriages are high in Cyabayaga cell, Nyagatare sector in Nyagatare district, officials say.

Cyabayaga cell officials told The New Times this week that a good number of women abandon their marriages and elope with Ugandan men from across the border.

According to the officials, a good number of marriages were recorded during July and August this year.

"We receive many cases of men complaining of their wives’ illegal divorce, but we have mobilised mass wedding for couples to see if this issue can be minimized,” said Deogratious Ruhakanya, the Cyabayaga cell executive secretary.

The residents attributed the cause of broken marriages to their area’s proximity to Uganda. "This cell is a home to Mimuli market that brings together Rwandans and Ugandans who supply food crops. This close proximity with Uganda can be seen as one of the causes of broken marriages in this sector,” one of the affected residents said.

"Even those with five or seven children to do not get ashamed to leave their families,” another resident said.
Some women, who spoke to The New Times, acknowledged that many of their colleagues had abandoned their Rwandan husbands and have subsequently eloped with Ugandan men.

"It is true that some women in this area have left their homes for Ugandan men. When asked these women claim that Ugandan men are capable of providing them with more stable livelihoods,” Josephine Uwimana, one of the area residents said.

Charles Kabiligi, another resident blamed the practise on what he termed as emancipation of women within society.
"Women who embark on such practises have taken the issue of gender equity too far,” he said.

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