The nine Rwandans released on Saturday join a large number of Rwandans deported from Uganda after enduring torture in prisons on unfounded accusations.
As they narrate, some of those Rwandans deported to Rwanda on Saturday through Kagitumba border in Nyagatare district were ferociously tortured and forced to join Kayumba Nyamwasa’s rebel group.
The nine deportees include women incarcerated with their husbands and children, young men among others who were tortured in Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
Simon Bakoreyebusa, 27, born in Ruhango district went to Uganda in March 2018. He was arrested by Kinyarwanda speaking soldiers in Mbarara on 4th April 2018 where he was working in an enterprise processing juices.
He narrates how he was taken to CMI barracks in Makindye and transferred to the main headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.
Bakoreyebusa said he was jailed with other 28 Rwandans who were all tortured.
Bakoreyubusa reflected how he was on several occasions forced to acknowledge that he was a spy of Rwanda to be granted refuge or taken to the rebel group of Kayumba Nyamwasa which he declined.
“I endured extreme sufferings from beatings asking me to accept that I am Rwanda’s spy which I repeatedly denied. They asked me to accept on condition that it could give me a chance to get refugee status or recruit me to the army of Kayumba. They told me ‘If you don’t accept we shall kill you’. I replied that I would rather die than accepting uncommitted offenses,” he narrated.
Bakoreyubusa said, he was never taken to court but would face intense torture whenever he asked about his allegations.
Eric Hakorimana is another Rwandan who was arrested by soldiers speaking Kinyarwanda in Mbarara in February 2019. He had gone to Uganda in 2014 for milk businesses.
He was taken to Mbuya after arrest where he was tortured to accept that he was Rwanda’s spy.
Hakorimana was seriously beaten with sticks burnt with electricity until he was taken to the hospital in critical conditions.
He was discharged from the hospital within two weeks and interrogated again for similar cases.
“One poured water on me and beat me asking why we are in Uganda. He said ‘It can take us a few minutes to seize your preferred leader Kagame.’ I maintained silence while he talked and beat me until he stopped and walked away,” he said.
Hakorimana revealed that he was once asked his ethnicity and beaten as he responded that he is Rwandan.
He was asked names of Rwanda’s soldiers or others who might have escaped Rwanda’s army.
Some of released Rwandans are accused of illegal entry to Uganda like Ezechiel Muhawenimana, 36, and his wife Espérance Dusabimana, 35, from Rubavu district.
They were arrested from the car in Rubanda area in July 2018 as they visited they aunt in Mbarara to be jailed Ndorwa prison in Kabale.
Dusabimana who was pregnant gave birth within two months in prison.
As she explained they were many Rwandans in the prison who never had access to justice.
Dusabimana narrated that one Rwandan woman with her delivered baby died from such hazardous conditions. Later on, another child belonging to Rwandan woman died in the same prison.
A total of 900 Rwandans were reported illegally detained in Uganda towards the end of March 2019.
The Government of Rwanda has recently advised Rwandans not to travel to Uganda for their security until the situation comes back to normal.
Rwanda accuses Uganda of conspiracy with rebel groups intending to destabilize state security.
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