Rwanda announced it would open its border to Uganda after being closed for three years.
“Rwanda has taken note that there is a process to solve issues raised by Rwanda, as well as commitments made by the government of Uganda to address remaining obstacles,” Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Uganda welcomed the news.
“I thank our great leaders, President @KagutaMuseveni and @PaulKagame for fully opening our borders! This is a wonderful achievement. Now our people can freely move, trade and interact as Almighty God always intended! God bless East Africa!” Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni, tweeted.
Although it is not yet “business as usual.”
For now, Rwandan authorities say travel to Uganda via the land border is restricted to essential travelers until COVID-19 prevention efforts are established.
Only truckers and Rwandan citizens or returning residents are permitted to cross from Uganda into Rwanda, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said on Twitter.
“Let me hope this is real and trade is allowed to resume, too,” said Rwandan trader Justin Murenzi, who used to import second-hand clothes from Uganda’s capital, told the Washington Post. “We can start life again and forget the past.”
Rwanda closed the border in 2019 after accusing Uganda of supporting rebel groups in order to destabilize Rwanda. Uganda, in turn, accused the Rwanda government of spying. Angola and Congo then mediated talks between the two countries, but they failed to reach a resolution.
The breakdown heavily impacted trade links in the region.
Ugandan exported a wide range of goods to Rwanda at the time, including food, liquor and cement, while Rwanda largely depended on a transport corridor that runs from the Kenyan port of Mombasa through Uganda.
