crime 3 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
25 Rwandans and 3 Ugandans Nabbed for Illegal Wolfram Mining in Kisoro
Uganda police arrested 25 Rwandans and three Ugandans for unauthorized mining at a government facility in Kisoro District after they crossed through unguarded borders. The operation also led to arrests of robbery suspects in Rubanda and a woman accused of murdering her stepchild in Kanungu. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/25-rwandans-arrested-for-illegal-mining-in-kisoro--5445792
Police in Kisoro District detained 25 Rwandan nationals and three Ugandans on Saturday for illegal mining of wolfram at the Kirwa Mines in Kabaya Village, Nyarubuye Sub County. The suspects had reportedly slipped into Uganda via porous border points to access the state-owned site, prompted by an intelligence tip-off.
Kigezi region police spokesperson Elly Maate confirmed the intelligence-led raid on May 2 recovered about 30 kilograms of the mineral. The group now faces charges of illegal mining and remaining in Uganda without proper travel documents.
In related security actions, six alleged repeat offenders linked to machete and knife robberies targeting night travelers were apprehended in Rubanda Town Council. They are held at Rubanda Central Police Station for further probes.
Separately, a 26-year-old woman from Kameme Village in Kanungu District’s Kihihi Sub County was arrested for the alleged murder of her two-and-a-half-year-old stepdaughter. The child, brought by her father after he began cohabiting with the suspect, was severely beaten on May 1 and died at Kihihi Health Centre IV the next day.