DRC closes Rwanda border after soldier is shot dead during attack

The border closure is the latest escalation in a diplomatic crisis that has broken out between the neighbours.

Congolese policemen guard the border crossing point with Rwanda
Congolese policemen guard the border crossing point with Rwanda after a Congolese soldier was killed in a clash near an area where the Congolese army is fighting M23 rebels, following renewed tensions around Goma in the North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, June 17, 2022 [Esdras Tsongo/Reuters]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has closed its border with Rwanda after a Congolese soldier was shot dead while attacking border guards inside Rwandan territory.

The border closure is the latest escalation in a diplomatic crisis that has broken out between the neighbours since rebels that DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting, launched a major offensive in eastern DRC last month.

Rwanda denies DRC’s allegations that it supports the M23 rebels, whose leadership hails from the same Tutsi ethnic group as Rwanda President Paul Kagame, or that it has sent troops into eastern DRC.

DRC’s government ordered the border with Rwanda closed as of 3pm local time (13:00 GMT), according to a statement from the office of South Kivu’s governor.

Two Rwandan police officers were injured when the Congolese soldier crossed the border and opened fire, before an officer on duty fired back and killed him 25 metres inside Rwanda, the Rwandan military said in a statement.

DRC’s government said it was investigating the incident.

Source: Reuters