The Rwandan army claimed on January 16, 2024 to have killed a “ soldier » from the DRC and arrested two others who, according to her, crossed the border between the two countries.
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With our correspondent in Kigali, Lucie Mouillaud
New border incident between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the Rwandan army. She affirms on January 16, 2024 that three Congolese soldiers entered the territory, two were arrested and one neutralized.
According to the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF), the incident took place around 11 a.m. Kigali time on Tuesday morning. According to the press release, three armed Congolese soldiers crossed the border in the Rubavu district, more precisely in the Rukoko cell, bordering North Kivu in the DRC and very close to the city of Goma.
Incidents and incursions
Among them, a sergeant and a corporal, both arrested by a Rwandan patrol and a local neighborhood watch network. Still according to the RDF, the third Congolese soldier was shot dead, when he allegedly opened fire on the soldiers.
Several border incidents have been denounced by the two countries over the past two years; in March 2023, Rwanda had already claimed to have neutralized a Congolese soldier who allegedly fired at the border between the towns of Rubavu and Goma.
Kinshasa, for its part, regularly accuses the Rwandan army of incursions on its territory intended to strengthen the M23 armed group, accusations always denied by Kigali.
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