Arrested Somalis to be deported

The four Somalis who were arrested this week while trying to illegally cross into Rwanda from Uganda at Gatuna border post will soon be deported, Sunday Times has learnt. They were heading to Burundi’s capital Bujumbura. Eric Kayiranga the police spokesman said that authorities from both countries had a meeting on Friday to discuss the way forward. He said that the four Somalis broke immigration laws and investigations are being carried out to ascertain whether they are not linked to a terrorist group known as the Al Shabaab. It is reportedly said that they tried to bribe a bus conductor to get them entry visas to Rwanda. When contacted, Anaclet Kalibata, Director General of the Emigration and Immigration confirmed the development saying that the four Somalis will be deported. Kalibata said that the concerned authorities are carrying out investigations to ascertain their link to Al Shabaab or see if they can be prosecuted for forgery. “First of all they were denied entry and they sneaked into the country through other routes and secondly, one of them had a forged passport. Before deporting them, we have to investigate circumstances surrounding all that,” Kalibata said yesterday by phone. “We have to be very careful especially when one tries to illegally enter the country moreover with forged documents,” Kalibata asserted. Following the recent threat by Al Shabaab, Uganda immediately carried out a registration exercise of all Somalis estimated at 15,000 persons residing in the country while Burundi beefed up border checks. Both countries have their troops serving as peacekeepers in the war torn nation. The United States alleges that Al Shabaab has links to al Qaeda. Ends