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Kisoro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A Congolese and a Ugandan have been arrested for illegal possession of firearms.
The suspects currently being detained at Kisoro police station are: Sadiki Gashendure ,29, a resident of Bunagana village, Karambo chiefdom in Rutshuru territory, North Kivu province of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Silvani Uwirangiye,32, a resident of Gatete village, Rwaramba parish Nyakinama sub county, Kisoro district in Uganda.
They were found with the arms on Saturday night (August 12, 2023) at around 09:00PM.
A source at Kisoro police station told our reporter that security received a tip off that Gashendure had in the evening hours of the same day crossed to Uganda from Congo using a porous border of Bunyangaro Nyabwishenya sub county while carrying some firearms.
Police officers and Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers trailed him up to Kisoro town near Stanbic bank where he was arrested. On checking him, he was found in possession of two hand grenades.
On interrogation, Gashendure led security officers to his accomplice Uwiragiye in Gatete Kisoro town where they found a Sub Machine Gun (SMG) rifle number 56×20019268, together with 64 rounds of live ammunition buried in a banana plantation.
Elly Maate, police spokesperson for Kigezi region confirms the arrest saying that the duo is being questioned to establish the source of the firearms, the motive and if there are more associates.
The case is registered at Kisoro police station under file number SD 02/13/8/2023.
North Kivu province where Gashendure was crossing to Uganda from has been a war zone between the Armed Forces of Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels since March 2022.
Kisoro recently registered killings related to gun violence. On August 5,2023, Bosco Dusabe, 34, a Boda boda rider and a resident of Nyarurama village, Rutare parish, Chahi sub-county, was gunned down at around 11:30 PM. Armed men stormed his home when Dusabe returned from work and shot him in the stomach. The gunmen fled from the scene. Dusabe succumbed to excessive bleeding shortly after reaching Mutorere Hospital in Kisoro town. Emmanuel Agaba of the same residence was arrested to aid investigations.
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