Phineas Ndayambaje, a Rwandan farmer was on January 31, hacked to near death by a gang of Ugandan men linked to security organs who claimed that they were taking revenge on Rwandans following a recent call made by Kisoro Resident District Commissioner Capt. (rtd) Peter Mugisha; he rallied Ugandans to hunt down Rwandans and unleash all sorts of brutality on them including killing them until they leave Uganda.

Ndayambaje owned a Shamba in Kisoro District where the attackers found him, hacked him on the head, hands and legs.

He narrowly survived death and managed to escape the attack and crossed into Rwanda. He is currently hospitalized in Cyanika.

According to him, there is intensified manhunt and persecution of Rwandans in Kisoro; their properties are dispossessed and some are murdered in cold blood.

The current situation in Uganda seems to be escalating to a well-orchestrated xenophobic attack on Rwandans with authorities encouraging Kisoro residents to attack their citizens of Rwandan origin. Several have been attacked, women children and the elderly are severely beaten or hacked, Rwandan buses are stoned while driving on highways.

Over 840 Rwandans have since 2017 been arbitrary arrested, tortured and dumped on borders with Rwanda. Tens of those eventually succumbed to injuries sustained during the severe torture by Ugandan security operatives.

An incident worse than that of Ndayambaje happened on December 31, 2019 when a Rwandan national identified as Mbonabaheka Celestin was attacked by a machete-welding gang at night in Kisoro and hack him to death.

Mbonabaheka who hails from Burera District was dealing in interior décor.

Following his death, Ugandan Police hurried to bury him at Kisoro cemetery without an autopsy or even informing his family. His burial was only attended by Ugandan police officers who brought the body and the undertakers.

Cases of xenophobic attacks against Rwandans in Uganda have been ongoing. Another Rwandan mother, Nyiramwiza Pascaline, 25, was hacked by her Ugandan husband, Musinguzi Moses who chopped off her arm.

Musinguzi unleashed his murderous rage on his spouse on grounds that Rwandans are not liked in Uganda and that he would kill her for being Rwandan the same way Ugandans kill Rwandans.

The case was reported to Uganda Police but no single arrest or investigation was done about it.

Prior to Nyiramwiza’s hacking, Nyirarudodo Drocelle 40, and her daughter Uwineza Emerence 14, were severely beaten to near death in Kisoro District, Uganda.

Weeks earlier, two men, Emmanuel Maniragaba 32 and John Sebudirimba 60 were attacked by officers of the Uganda People’s Defense Force in Kisoro District and beat them to near death. It was later established that one of those men, Sebudirimba, was mistaken by the security agents to be Rwandan.

Also, in November last year, UPDF rounded up over 300 Rwandans in Kisoro District, a few of them were dumped at the border while majority others were taken to an unknown jail cells.