Africa-Press – Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda on Friday afternoon handed over to DR Congo the body of a FARDC soldier that was shot dead on the Petite Barriere border this morning after he shot and injured two Rwanda National Police officers.
A few minutes past 1:00 pm, the deceased’s body was handed over to Congolese officials, who include Brig. Gen. Ghislain Mulamba Tshinkobo, the Commander of the 34th Military Region in DRC, after the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism for investigation (EJVM), a DR Congo-based regional body that monitors and investigates cross-border security incidents investigated the shooting.
The unidentified soldier who was armed with an AK47 riffle entered Rwanda and indiscriminately fired at border and security personnel on duty, who later shot him in self-defense at 8:00am in the morning.
A Rwandan police officer shot back to protect civilians crossing the Petite Barriere border post, the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) said in a statement on Friday, adding that the Congolese soldier had walked 25 metres inside the Rwandan territory.
Ildephonse Kambogo, the Mayor of Rubavu District, told The New Times in an interview that Rwandans involved in cross-border trade have since not been able to cross over to DRC for safety purposes.
“We encourage people involved in cross-border activities to abstain from anything that would result in them being harmed. They should first make sure they are safe before crossing over. We understand some have their businesses in DRC,” he said.
Kambogo added that Rubavu residents are also encouraged to keep doing business with their Congolese counterparts as usual, in case they cross over for goods and services.
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