KAMPALA – Rwandan officials making public statements on the ongoing border tensions should be careful because they have property in Uganda, government spokesman Ofwono Opondo has said.
He told NTV that there were Rwandan officials, particularly State Minister for East African affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe who are attacking Ugandan officials who have made several Twitter posts, some specifically responding to Opondo.
In social media post, Mr. Nduhungirehe described as “factually and demonstrably incorrect” some of the allegations made by Mr. Opondo at a media briefing in Kampala, which was being relayed live on Twitter by his office.
In the NTV Uganda interview, Mr. Opondo said: “Some of these officials talking have land and other property here. It is irresponsible on their part to utter anything. They will force us to expose their secrets.”
Mr. Opondo also said all allegations Rwanda is making against Uganda are “not true” – a reason why they have not been reported to the East African Community, a regional grouping of six neighbors.
Rwanda accuses Uganda of arming and financing Rwandans dissidents in Uganda and facilitating their leaders in South Africa.
Rwanda also accuses Uganda is actively providing considerable backing to Rwandan FDLR rebels in DR Congo – whose members participated in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis, an allegation entirely dismissed by Uganda.
Rwanda claims FDLR spokesman and intelligence chief were arrested on DRC-Uganda border as they returned from meetings in Kampala with high-level Ugandan officials.
Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister and Government Spokesman Dr. Richard Sezibera on Tuesday claimed “They are very fine and have divulged a lot of information. The most important issue here is that they are back home.”
Uganda, according to Kigali, has arrested dozens of Rwandans currently detained illegally. They are ‘arrested, harassed, tortured, incarcerated without consular access, and some deported’, says Rwanda.
Mr. Opondo said: “If what they accuse Uganda of doing was true and they do not want to present it to Uganda, they should have gone to the East African Community. Otherwise, the fact that they have not done that shows all they are saying is not true.”
