Kampala,
UGANDA
Thirty
nine Rwandan and Congolese nationals have appeared before Kisoro magistrate’s
court in western Uganda for illegal entry into Uganda.
The suspects after their arrest on November 25, 2019 |
The suspects who include 35 Rwandan nationals
and four Congolese, were arrested in a joint security operation involving the
army and Police in Kisoro municipality in the areas of Russia, MuLine and
Karumena in the wee hours of Monday morning. More than 200 people were picked
up.
However, most of the suspects were released
during the screening exercise leaving 39. Some of them didn’t have
identification documents.
On Tuesday afternoon, the suspects appeared
before Kisoro Grade One Magistrate, Raphael Vueni under tight security where
they were charged with illegal entry.
Three Rwandan suspects and a Congolese pleaded
not guilty to the charges. The other 35 pleaded guilty to the charges and asked
for pardon.
Vueni remanded the three Rwandan nationals and
Congolese to Kisoro Government Prison until December 18, 2019.
He also remanded the remaining suspects to
prison until tomorrow when they will appear for judgment.
Both Elly Maate, Kigezi region Police Spokesman
and Eddie Sserunjojji, Kigezi Region Police Commander declined to comment on
the matter.
Captain Peter Mugisha, the Kisoro Resident
District Commissioner (RDC), said the operation is aimed at reducing rampant
cases of murder, rape, robbery and theft among others in Kisoro District.
According to Mugisha, residents had resorted to
mob justice while accusing security of not helping them to identify suspected
criminals.
“The residents of Kisoro are angry and always
complaining about criminal activities in the district. When they complain, our
duty is to protect their lives and properties. Therefore, these kind of
operations will not stop because everyone is supposed to have identification
documents, especially a national ID indicating where they come from. There have
been several robbery, murder and rape case in the district. We cannot just sit
and watch as these happen,” Mr Mugisha said.
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