Cibitoke: nine bodies of Rwandan rebels found in Kibira

On Friday afternoon, forest guards saw nine decomposing bodies on Gafumbegeti hill. It is in the Butahana zone in the commune of Mabayi, Cibitoke province (north-west of Burundi). The hill lies on the border with the Kibira nature reserve. Nearby residents speak of repeated discoveries of the corpses of Rwandan rebels. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The latest clashes between the Burundian army (FDNB) and rebels fighting Kigali left at least nine dead on the rebel side, according to our sources.

“I saw decomposing corpses wearing Congolese army military uniforms this Friday December 2 in the afternoon in the rice field of the Kibira nature forest[…]”, testified a forest guard, the first who saw the bodies before alerting his colleagues.

A military source for its part further specifies that violent fighting between the Burundian army and Rwandan rebels with their rear base in the DRC enabled the FDNB to “recover several large and small caliber weapons”.

“A lot of positions have also been recovered. They had been occupied by the rebels since 2015”.

A local administrative officer contacted, confirmed the situation.

“Several residents have fled their households. They are staying at the administrative center of Mabayi commune,” he said.

A senior officer in charge of military operations in the communes of Mabayi and Bukinanyana confirms this information and admits that the result achieved is satisfactory for the moment. He also indicates that “our units are currently carrying out combing operations wherever there are some pockets of resistance from these rebels, most of whom are in disarray”. He calls on the population to further help the defense and security forces by denouncing any suspicious movement.

Contacted for comment the administrator of Mabayi, Nicodème Ndahabonyimana also confirms this information and adds that “detonations of heavy weapons have been heard regularly lately in the Kibira nature reserve”.