Rwandan Soldiers Enter, Loot DR Congo Town
Reliable military sources said the Rwandans entered DR Congo in search of two of their men
A security incident was reported in Kibumba town, situated in Nyiragongo territory on the Rwanda-DR Congo border.
According to the DR Congo military high command, a company of the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) on Monday, Oct. 18, entered into the Congolese side of the border provoking individual armed confrontation between soldiers from the two countries.
“There was an incursion by Rwandan soldiers in Kibumba in the morning of this Monday,” Colonel Guillaume Njike, spokesperson of the FARDC 34th military region revealed.
“The Rwandans were contained by the armed forces of the DR Congo until the arrival of reinforcements before they were pushed back. It was an incursion of at least one company of the Rwandan army that entered Congolese soil. They fired support and individual weapons. The situation is under control.”
The spokesperson said both sides recovered one rifle each from the other and the Rwandan forces looted properties from the population in Kibumba before they retreated back to their side of the border.
“The truth is that we succeeded in recovering one gun and the other side also recovered one gun. By making this incursion into our territory, they used live bullets and there was looting by their forces before they retreated,” Colonel Njike said.
The army spokesperson did not categorically reveal the reasons for the Rwandan incursion into Congolese territory but other reliable military sources said the Rwandans entered DR Congo in search of two of their men.
“A Rwandan soldier illegally entered Congo with some goods. After crossing the Congolese border, another Rwandan soldier followed him. Congolese soldiers captured the two Rwandan soldiers,” a military source revealed on condition of anonymity.
“This was why other Rwandan soldiers came here to liberate their brothers in arms. They returned with their two colleagues after an exchange of fire. The situation is calm now.”
Following this incident, there have been reports of displacement of inhabitants in Kibumba Tuesday morning, Oct. 19 and schools have remained closed since Monday.
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