Border gunfire: Rwanda says Burundian Army provoked them into shooting
By Administration
Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) have said in a statement dated May9 and tweeted today that there was gunfire at Rwanda’s Southern border between Rwandan and Burundian soldiers on May8 that resulted from the latter’s provocation.
The Rwandan Army says that Burundian fishermen had crossed into Rwanda’s waters at Lake Rweru and in the process of ordering them to respect border lines, the Burundian army intervened by shooting at the Rwandan soldiers.
“On Friday 8 May 2020, in Rweru sector of Bugesera district in the Eastern Province, a group of fishermen from Burundi illegally crossed into the Rwandan waters in Lake Rweru,” says the statement.
“While Rwanda Defence Force was ordering the
fishermen to return back to their country, Burundian soldiers intervened from
their side and started shooting at RDF; which retaliated,” added the statement.
Rwanda Defence Force, the statement adds, suffered no casualties during the
gunfire exchange and the attackers returned back to Burundi.
“The borderline between Rwanda and Burundi is a known demarcation line in the
middle of Lake Rweru that is easily identifiable using technology like the GPS”.