Legislators\nhave demanded that government immediately explains and resolves the standoff\nbetween Uganda and Rwanda that has led to the closure of the border between the\ntwo countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nMPs said that it would not be proper for the House to continue sitting\noblivious of what is happening at the South Western border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rwanda\nlast week closed its border crossing with Uganda at Katuna and asked travellers\nand motorists to instead use the crossing at Mirama hills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nclosure has affected pedestrians, traders and students on both sides of the\ndivide alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last\nmonth, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda allayed the fears of MPs following\ncriticism of Uganda by Rwanda\u2019s State Minister of Foreign Affairs in Charge of\nthe East African Community, Mr Olivier Nduhungirehe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rugunda\nthen said a statement on steps taken to restore weakening diplomatic ties\nbetween the two countries would be issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nFirst Deputy Prime Minister Gen Moses Ali, who today faced mounting pressure\nfrom MPs, maintained government will issue a statement \u201cwhen we are ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGovernment\nis going to brief the House, and we can only do that when we are ready,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\nis now a cat and mouse game that government is playing us [Parliament]\u2026where\nare we standing with Rwanda? We need a timeline on when government will furnish\nus with details,\u201d said Anna Adeke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\ndebate was sparked by MP Muhammad Nsereko, who said MPs are being deliberately\nkept unaware about the diplomatic standoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\nis appalling today that all of us are kept in the dark as to what is happening\nbetween Uganda and Rwanda; Uganda and Rwanda are losing about US$30 million in\nrevenue due to the closure of the borders,\u201d said Nsereko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker\nRebecca Kadaga, who presided over the House, gave Gen Ali up to Thursday this\nweek to present a statement on the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\nsaid that government had taken the issue, which was first raised in Parliament\nlast week, lightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\nwant government to take this issue seriously; Ugandans want to know if they can\ncontinue taking goods to the border, and buses can take passengers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\ndiplomatic relations took a new twist this month, with the closure of the\nborder, which has stranded traders and their goods, occasioning losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yesterday,\nRwanda\u2019s Foreign Affairs Minister Mr Richard Sezibera further accused Uganda of\nalleged support to the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), which Kigali has\nisolated as a rebel outfit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kutesa\nissues statement<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minutes\nafter Gen Ali\u2019s statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa issued a media\nstatement, terming as false claims that Uganda is encouraging subversive\nelements in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is false that Uganda hosts any elements fighting Rwanda; Rwanda knows this very well as it has been a matter of confidential information at the highest level,\u201d said Kutesa in a statement shared by President Museveni\u2019s Senior Press Secretary, Don Innocent Wanyama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parliamentary News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Legislators have demanded that government immediately explains and resolves the standoff between Uganda and Rwanda that has led to the closure of the border between the two countries. The MPs said that it would not be proper for the House to continue sitting oblivious of what is happening at the South Western border. Rwanda last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":8481,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-8480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured"],"yoast_head":"\n