Rwandan President Paul Kagame has finally accepted that the closure of Katuna border with neigbours has greatly affected its economy. President Kagame made the remarks today during an interactive session with a group of social media influencers in Kigali focused on 26 Years after the Liberation of Rwanda.
Rwanda and Uganda have traded accusations of interference in each other’s affairs. Officially, the Rwandan government says the border is open but many people trying to cross over are not able to do so while Uganda grants entry and exit of those to and from Rwanda.
Rwanda Today shared tweets of Kagame’s remarks.
https://twitter.com/RwandaToday/status/1281607703232741377?s=19
Kagame: The main problem affecting Rwanda is through the Central Corridor. We’ve talked to our Tanzanian neighbours; so we’re ones really begging. But it’s going to be difficult to say ‘do this on my terms’. We’re put in a situation where we suffer for not doing it their way.
Kagame: We are suffering a lot on our side, and almost reaching a point where it is like we are being blackmailed to do things the way our neighbours understand things.
Kagame: We tried everything we can, as the country at the receiving end of problems of being landlocked. We have tried to incentivise or sweeten ways to work together with neighbours to ease movement of goods and trucks. But we are still finding difficulty.
President Kagame: Trade has been hit and more seriously in Rwanda as a landlocked country. We have no easy access to the sea and have to go through the Central Corridor through Dar or the Northern Corridor through Uganda and Mombasa. This means serious problems for us.
President Paul Kagame due to lack of regional effort to curb #coronavirus. “#COVID__19 shouldn’t have affected common sense that relates to the urgent need for cooperation. People must work together if things are to be come easier. But each country seems to see things differently” .
Kagame: So being given a choice to die from the #coronavirus or that you will die because you cannot have your way through to the coast… you can see the dilemma thay Rwanda is put in, and it is not fair. So the coronavirus is killing people, businesses and even relationships. “If things go wrong after me (as President), people will be able to tell the difference and see that it is not my responsibility. Count me wrong when am still there,”
Source: http://commandonepost.com/