The Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) pushed back an armed group in Nyaruguru district. The infiltrators withdrew to Burundi after losing men and equipment.
Following clashes between RDF soldiers deployed in Nyaruguru, in the model village of Yanze, four assailants lost their lives and three were captured, according to Rwandan army spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Innocent Munyengango.
“Approximately 100 unidentified armed individuals, heavily armed with machine guns, rocket launchers and grenades, attacked an RDF defensive position with the intention of killing civilians in the model village of Yanze,” said Lt Col Munyengango. The village is located about 1,000 meters from the Burundi border in the Ruheru sector of Nyaruguru district in southern Rwanda. The attack lasted 20 to 30 minutes.
Rifles, grenades, cartridges, communication equipment and combat rations marked ‘Burundi National Defence Force’ were seized. On the RDF side, three soldiers were slightly injured according to the same source.
The assailants withdrew to Burundi from where they had come. “The armed men attacked from Burundi and fled in the same direction towards the Burundian military position in Gihisi, commune of Bukinanyana, Cibitoke province,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Munyengango, speaking on behalf of the Rwandan army.
The spokesman for the Burundian army, Burundi National Defence Force (FDNB), Colonel Floribert Biyereke, seems to deny the facts. “The Burundian soil cannot be the sanctuary of elements that disrupt the security of neighbouring countries,” said Colonel Floribert Biyereka in a statement.
This is not the first time that the Rwandan army accuses Burundi of serving as a rear base for armed groups that conduct sporadic operations in Rwanda. The country’s southern neighbour has always denied Kigali’s accusations.
Gérard Rugambwa
