Two suspected smugglers who crossed to the Rwandan side of the border with Uganda were shot dead early on Sunday by Rwandan police officers on patrol, a statement confirmed in Kigali.
The statement quoted the spokesperson of the Rwandan Police, Jean Bosco Kabera as saying that the smugglers became violent and assaulted officers who reacted in self-defense shooting them dead while the rest escaped.
An investigation into the incident is already underway, the police said while condemning the violent behaviour of the alleged smugglers.
Reacting to the incident, the Rwandan police also urged the public especially those residing along the common border with Uganda] to focus on legal commercial activities using official border points.
The incident occurred just a few weeks after two other women suspected to be smugglers carrying several litres of strong alcohol brewed from bananas known as ‘Kanyanga’ were shot dead by the Rwandan army on patrol in the northern district of Nyagatare.
Similarly, two people were killed in May this year during a shooting incident while attempting to cross the border from Uganda at an unapproved point.
The shooting incident comes amidst strained relations between Kigali and Kampala since February this year over an economic row.
Kigali has accused Kampala of supporting Rwandan rebel groups including the Rwanda National Congress (RNC) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
CU/as/APA