By Edmund
Kagire, Kigali RWANDA
Rwanda says it is working with Tanzanian authorities to quell cross border protests by drivers who are opposing new measures introduced by Rwanda to curb the spread of New Coronavirus by blocking trucks driven by Rwandan drivers to move.
Videos of Rwandan truck drivers
being attacked by groups of people inside Tanzania, said to be truck drivers,
who are opposed to recent measures introduced by the Government of Rwanda aimed
at stopping cross border transmission of COVID-19 by the truck drivers and
their assistants, have been making rounds on social media platforms.
Under the new measures,
Tanzanian truck drivers are expected to drive the trucks up to Rusumo border
post where they hand them over to their Rwandan counterparts who take the goods
up to their final destination.
The measure was put
in place after cross border truck drivers and their assistants were
increasingly testing positive of new coronavirus.
The move was
protested by Tanzanian truck drivers who did not feel comfortable handing over
their trucks and goods destined for Rwanda to other drivers, despite assurances
by authorities and Private Sector Federation (PSF). Some of the drivers said
the move would render them jobless and affect their incomes.
Addressing the situation on
Tuesday, the Minister of State for Health in Charge of Primary Healthcare, Dr
Tharcisse Mpunga, said that the government is aware of the situation and is
working with Tanzanian authorities to find solutions.
“The government is
aware of the situation. As you might know, the country has put in place
measures to stop the spread of New Coronavirus. In recent days, we were seeing
an increase in the number of cross border drivers, both Rwandan and foreign,
who were testing positive,”
“We came up with measures
to stop the cross-border transmission but without stopping goods from coming
in. Some drivers were obviously not happy with the new measures which meant
that they would hand over their trucks to their Rwandan counterparts who would
deliver the goods at the final destination,” Dr Mpunga said.
He said drivers from
neighbouring countries, particularly Tanzanians, were not happy with the new
directives hence the reported protests at the border. He defended the measures
saying that they are aimed at ensuring that more people don’t get infected.
The State Ministers said
concerned authorities charged with trade and transport, as well as PSF, are
working with their Tanzanian counterpart to find an answer to the situation,
emphasizing that drivers are acting on their own, not on the orders of the
Tanzanian government.
Dr. Mpunga said it is
normal for drivers to feel inconvenienced by the new measures but they have to
understand the importance of protecting citizens from COVID-19.
“We understand their
grievances but they have been given assurances that their vehicles and goods
will be safe. We have given them safe alternatives. As we speak, we have talked
to transporters and business people in Tanzania who say they are not comfortable
with having their trucks and goods handed over to other drivers,”
“They suggested that they
send their own drivers who they trust to Rwanda to live here, who can receive
their counterparts at the border and take the trucks up to their destination.
We have allowed them to do that. We have already received some of the drivers
in the country,” he said.
Dr. Mpunga said that
regarding the decision, he says Rwanda retains the right to put in place
measures to protect her citizens from the pandemic and can come up with
measures to safeguard its borders without waiting for a neighboring country to
do the same.
“We want to assure the
public that there is no problem between the two countries, these are drivers
acting in their individual capacity. We have not seen the involvement of the
government. We will continue to discuss with Tanzanian authorities to find a
solution to this situation,” the Minister of State said.
Rwanda imports more than 90
percent of her goods through Dar-es-Salaam port via Rusumo One Stop Border
Post. The entry point has been registering many positive new coronavirus cases,
including the highest number of cases recorded in a day. - Africa
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