Rumonge : four Ugandans arrested

Cabura John, 24 years old, Balijuka Hillary Gahwa, 29 years old, Ajuna Robert, 26 years old, and Kasaija Enock, 23 years old, were arrested on Thursday. Their arrest took place in the district of Bugarama, in the province of Rumonge, southwest Burundi. The provincial authority has asked managers of hotels and guest houses to be very vigilant during this period when M23 rebels continue to extend their zone of occupation in the province of South Kivu, bordering Burundi. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The four Ugandan nationals were arrested in a hotel located in the center of Magara, town of the district of Bugarama.

“They were arrested in a search operation to track down undocumented immigrants,” a police source told SOS Médias Burundi.

According to sources close to the judicial police, an investigation has been launched to determine reasons for the visit of these Ugandans to this region of Burundi. Uganda and Burundi are part of the countries of the East African Community. According to the treaty of this economic bloc, citizens of one of these countries do not need a visa to visit a State of the Community for a period of six months.

On Friday, the governor of Rumonge, Leonard Niyonsaba held an exceptional meeting with owners of hotels and guest houses. He ordered the owners of the guest houses to install surveillance cameras and hire security guards to “better control the movements of their customers”.

Administration and security authorities say they fear for the safety of residents at a time when the M23 rebels continue to reclaim areas in the province of South Kivu in eastern Congo, bordering Burundi. The province of Rumonge is one of the provinces of the small East African nation where daily movements are observed between Burundi and the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), via Lake Tanganyika.