The tension between Uganda and Rwanda continues to escalate as Rwanda’s strongman; Paul Kagame has banned Daily Monitor newspapers from crossing into his country.
Rwanda which entirely depends on Uganda for most of its services closed its side of the border at Katuna with Uganda in late February 2019.
The reasons given at the time was that it was renovating but later turned out to be untrue. Daily Monitor and partly state owned News Vision are the only Ugandan papers that were allowed circulation in Rwanda.
Officials at Immigrations told Eagle Online that as buses arrived at the three border posts of Katuna, Kagitumba and Bunagana, they were instructed to offload any Daily Monitor products before they proceed to Rwanda.
“It was tense as ordered were given and even a few people who had bought papers of yesterday panicked and handed over the old copies. As I speak, some Daily Monitor papers are piled here but some have been taken back by their circulation agents” a source told Eagle Online.
Mr. Justus Katungi, the Circulation Manager for Monitor Publications Limited, the publishers of Daily Monitor, Saturday and Sunday Monitor confirmed the development saying today’s incident isn’t isolated as it has been ongoing.
“It is true our papers lately have been blocked but we leave everything to the authorities”. Mr. Katungi said.
However, Eagle Online established that however much the Rwandan authorities block the entry of Daily Monitor, they secretly return to Kabale town to purchase copies for government officials.
Source: Eagle.co.ug