Congolese police on June 17, 2022 escort a convoy transporting the body of a DRC soldier who was shot and killed at Rubavu border post.
Rwandan security forces shot and killed a Congolese soldier who had crossed over from DRC and shot at Rwanda soldiers manning the common border between the two countries in Rubavu District, Rwanda’s defence ministry said.
“Today at around 17h35 a soldier of the DR Congo army (FARDC) crossed over from DRC and shot at RDF soldiers manning the common border between Grande Barrière and Petite Barrière in Rubavu District, in Rwanda’s Western Province”, says the statement issued by Rwanda’s defence ministry.
“The RDF soldiers returned fire, killing the FARDC soldier on the Rwandan side of the border. Several other FARDC soldiers fired at the RDF position resulting in a brief exchange of fire. The situation is now calm. This is among many similar incidents where DR Congo soldiers have violated Rwandan territory”, adds the statement.
The RDF(Rwanda Defense Forces) has formally communicated the incident to the EJVM (Extended Joint Verification Mechanism) of the International Conference of Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
Tensions have been mounting between the DRC and Rwanda over the conflict in Congo’s east, which flared up after M23 rebels — following a decade of relative calm — attacked Congolese army positions near the border.
The DRC has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, which has captured swaths of territory in eastern Congo. .
Rwanda denies supporting the militants and has accused the DRC’s army of fighting alongside the FDLR, an armed group mainly comprised of those who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi