Uganda has protested to Rwanda after two suspected smugglers were shot dead by Rwandan soldiers near their common border.

A letter delivered to Rwanda’s High Commissioner in Kampala describes the incident as murder and also mentions a Rwandan who was shot and injured on Ugandan soil.

It says the alleged crime of smuggling cannot justify what it called high-handed and criminal acts by Rwandan security personnel.

A local Rwandan mayor on Tuesday oversaw the handing over of the bodies to Ugandan police.Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent months with both countries accusing each other of interfering in each others’ internal affairs.

The standoff has resulted in the Rwanda closing some of its border points stalling trade between the two countries.

Rwanda has accused Uganda of destabilising the country by creating a rebel force – based in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo – that last month killed 14 people in northern Rwanda.]

Uganda has dismissed the accusations.