Rwanda-Uganda border closure: The border-users socio-economic and security experiences

This paper explores socio-economic, political and security dilemmas experienced by border users during Rwanda-Uganda border closure. As members of the East African Community, Rwanda and Uganda are equally responsible for sustainable cross-border diplomatic relations and its benefits. However, due to suspicion and mistrust, Rwanda closed its border with Uganda thus, complicating cross-border mobility for socioeconomic and security cooperation which prompted this study to explore border users’ lived experiences. Primary data was collected from border security officials, traders, drivers, boda-boda riders, and ordinary citizens while secondary data from Journal Articles, textbooks, newspapers, magazines, and other documentary texts. Despite extensive research on the closure of the Rwanda-Uganda border, the studies that are currently available offer important insights into the reasons behind the closure, its overall effects on the states, and efforts to resolve it, but they pay less attention to the socioeconomic and security experiences of the border communities. With guidance from critical security studies theory, interviews were conducted with purposively selected participants based on their lived experiences of the border situation. Results revealed that border closure heightened political tension between the two states manifesting in ban on cross-border mobility thus, weakening border socioeconomic activities and undermining the East African Community objectives. By inference, border users had multidimensional experiences coupled with criminalization of cross-border mobility and interruption in cross-border security collaboration and cooperation. The paper recommends that all leaders of EAC member states should avoid suspicion and mistrust between or among themselves and utilize pacific diplomacy in solving future differences.   Key words: Border-closure, human security, border users, Rwanda, Uganda.