A Rwandan soldier on Saturday survived lynching by angry residents in Butanda Sub County, Kabale District.
The RDF soldier was intercepted by vigilant residents who noticed the armed man trespassing into Ugandan territory.
The soldier only identified as Ndagijimana attached to Alpha Taskforce of 17th Battalion, 501 brigade in Nyamicucu barracks Burera District, was intercepted by locals while on Ugandan soil of Kekubo in Butanda Sub County around 06.30 PM.
Angry locals accused the soldier of crossing to Uganda with an intention of kidnapping Ugandans to take them to Rwanda for detention, something that has happened in the recent past.
Mr Godfrey Nyakahuma, the Kabale Resident District Commissioner confirmed that Ndagijimana was saved by Mathias Arineitwe, the Butanda Sub County GISO.
He said that Arineitwe first shot bullets in the air to disperse the locals who were determined to lynch Ndagijimana.
“The soldier was donning full Rwandan army combat gear and also in possession of an AK 47 rifle and 27 rounds of ammunition. After our GISO rescued him from the angry mob, he was taken to Kabale Central Police Station for questioning,” Mr Nyakahuma said in an interview with local reporters.
Mr Nyakahuma hailed the locals for the improved vigilance against illegal entrants from Rwanda, following the sensitization campaign conducted in October by the Kabale District security authorities.
The incident comes at a time when Private Ronald Arinda, a Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) soldier attached to the Special Forces Command (SFC) is still being held in Rwanda.
Arinda, 23, a resident of Kakyerere in Ryakarimira town council in Kabale District was on November 27, arrested from a cattle market in Burera District in Northern Province, a few metres away from the Uganda-Rwanda border.
Arinda who was on his pass leave was tricked to cross to Rwanda by Rwandan security informers claiming that they had some cattle they wanted to sell to him.
Rwandan security operatives have for many times been accused of crossing to Uganda and kidnaping Ugandans at gunpoint before whisking them to Rwanda for detention. Only this month, two Rwandan security operatives crossed about 100 metres from the border to Buhoro village in Rwene parish, Buhara Sub County, and kidnapped a 21-year-old Anthony Twijukye.
In May 2020, armed Rwandan security personnel crossed to Kitojo village, Katuna Town Council, and arrested Obed Nicholas Tugumisirize alias Kacucu.
The Uganda-Rwanda borders were unilaterally closed by Rwandan President, Paul Kagame in February 2019. Kagame issued a travel advisory to the citizens against traveling to Uganda, saying their safety was not guaranteed.