Uganda's government alleged on March 4, 2019, that Rwanda was restricting cross-border movement, with 129 cargo trucks stranded at the border and Rwandan citizens facing entry barriers. Ugandan spokesperson Ofwono Opondo stated that Rwandan authorities diverted traffic to Kagitumba due to Gatuna border post construction, while Rwanda's Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Sezibera denied the claims, asserting that only Rwandans faced restrictions due to security risks in Uganda.
Sezibera emphasized that Rwandan nationals detained in Uganda underwent local legal processes, rejecting allegations of political persecution. Opondo countered that Rwandan traders and students were blocked, disrupting trade routes critical for Rwanda's imports via Uganda's corridor to Mombasa. The dispute threatens regional commerce, as the route also serves Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Historical tensions between the nations date to 1986, when Rwandan President Paul Kagame served as a senior intelligence official in Uganda under Yoweri Museveni. Their relationship later shifted after Kagame's rebel group ended Rwanda's 1994 genocide, with periodic conflicts including a near-war in the late 1990s following clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
