Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) on Saturday, October 3, announced that 19 Burundian militants armed with guns illegally crossed from Burundi to Rwanda. The combatants, according to RDF, identified themselves as members of Red Tabara armed group and were apprehended in Nyungwe Forest, Ruheru Sector in Nyaruguru District, where they are being held. The incident took place on Tuesday, September 29. In a press release, RDF said that it has already informed the regional security mechanism to investigate the incident. 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, reads the statement. In August this year, EJVM facilitated a meeting of intelligence chiefs from Rwanda and Burundi that took place at Nemba One-Stop Border Post in Bugesera District to discuss security issues that have strained the two countries’ relations since 2015. The meeting was the first known physical high-level meeting that has convened officials from both countries in a while for both sides to discuss the strained relations.
