TENSIONS FLARE AT BUSANZA BORDER AS CONGOLESE FAMILY REJECTS BODY OF RELATIVE WHO DIED IN UGANDAN CUSTODY

Police at Busanza border seen stranded with the casket containing the remains of a Congolese national after the family rejected it on May 13, 2026. PHOTO/ JULIUS HAFASHA

DAILY MONITOR

Diplomatic and communal tensions reached a breaking point at the Busanza border post on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, as the relatives of a Congolese national refused to accept his remains.

The family is demanding that the Ugandan government cover all burial expenses and provide compensation for the man’s dependents following his controversial death in Uganda police custody.

The deceased, identified as 30-year-old Uwimana Ntirenganya from Mataba Village, Nyamagana, Busanza groupment in DRC’s Rutshuru District, died on May 7 at Nyabwishenya Police Post. The case has sparked outrage due to allegations of a high-level cover-up by local authorities.

According to official reports, Uwimana was detained on the evening of May 6 after an altercation at a drinking joint, where he was allegedly assaulted by two civilians, John Bosco Nsabimana and Hakuzimana Mpunuseni.
Charged with threatening violence, he was placed in a cell where he was found dead the following morning.

Rather than reporting the death to the District Police Commander (DPC), officers at the post allegedly colluded with the initial assault suspects to secretly bury Uwimana’s body in a tea plantation. The body was discovered days later, wrapped in sacks, after suspects reportedly moved the burial site because the ground at their first choice was too hard.

Following a court order, Kigezi Regional Police exhumed the body on May 12 for a postmortem at Kisoro General Hospital. Four police officers—Cpl. Wickliffe Musabyimana, PC Apeti Kizito, PC Moris Yebuze, and a fourth officer—along with the two civilians, have since been arrested.

Standoff at the border
On Wednesday, Kisoro DPC SP Edatu Cosmas attempted to repatriate the body. While hundreds of Congolese relatives gathered at the border, the handover quickly collapsed. Despite a formal apology from DPC Edatu, who described the death as the “actions of isolated individuals,” the family remained unmoved.

The family’s primary grievance is the financial burden of the burial and the loss of their breadwinner.
“They want us to sell our land to bury our son? In our culture, we slaughter a bull and provide for the community during a burial. Who will pay for this? Who will pay the school fees for his children?” one of the relatives asked.

In an attempt to de-escalate, Ugandan business owners in Mupaka Town Council raised Shs500,000 as a contribution toward funeral costs. The family flatly rejected the offer, calling it insufficient. After two hours of fruitless negotiations, the police were forced to return the body to the Kisoro Hospital mortuary.

The incident has strained the typically harmonious cross-border relations. Outgoing Bufumbira North MP, John Kamara Nizeyimana, reported that some Congolese nationals had begun destroying Ugandan crop gardens in retaliation, prompting him to warn Ugandans crossing the border to remain vigilant.

Mupaka Town Council Mayor, Ndekezi Emmanuel, expressed deep concern over the precedent the standoff sets. “The deceased even had a Ugandan wife; we are one people,” he noted. “This refusal risks damaging the long-standing peace between our communities.”

Ugandan authorities are currently seeking a court order to bury the remains in a public cemetery if the family continues to refuse the body.