Rwanda’s army arrests Burundian rebels for border encroachment

By Maniraguha Ferdinand

Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) has arrested 19 combatants belonging to the rebel group known as RED Tabara, who crossed the common border to find themselves on Rwandan territory  in Nyungwe Forest, Southern Rwanda.

According to RDF statement, those rebels “identified themselves as members of Red Tabara armed group crossed from Burundi to Rwandan territory. The combatants, armed with guns, were apprehended in Nyungwe Forest, Ruheru Sector of Nyaruguru District where they are being held.”

The Rwanda Defence Force has informed the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) and requested the regional mechanism to verify and investigate the cross-border incident for further management, according to the statement.

It happened a day after Burundian government issued a statement saying that some bandits from Rwanda have attacked Kayanza Province where they allegedly  killed a man and looted.

Few days ago,  Rwanda and Burundi’s Heads of Military Intelligence had met at the common border of Nemba in discussions aimed at finding solutions on security incidents along the common border that have strained the relations between the two countries.

RED Tabara is a rebel group whose target is to overthrow CNDD-FDD rule in Burundi, and has previously claimed many attacks in Burundi.