Cibitoke: four people killed by hippos in one month

People who engage in the illicit fuel trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo to bring it to Burundi via the Rusizi River run the risk of being snatched by hippos. Four people have already been killed by the behemoths in a month.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

All the victims were killed by hippos on different crossings of the Rusizi River (separating Burundi and the DRC) when they were returning from the DR Congo where they were clandestinely stocking up on fuel and during the night.

According to various consistent sources, at least four people have already lost their lives in a single month.

The last victim dates back to this Wednesday, June 5 on the transversal I of Rukana 2 hill in the Rugombo commune in Cibitoke province.

“The victim who was trying to cross with enormous quantities of liters of gasoline was surprised in the middle of the river by a hippopotamus,” reported a police source.

“The hippopotamus tore our neighbor into two parts and he died immediately,” said one of the neighbors of the last victim.

On the same hill, three other young men were killed in the same circumstances in the middle of May.

At the very beginning of May, two other thirty-year-olds from Samwe hill were murdered by bandits while they were traveling to the largest country in Central Africa in search of black gold.

“Because of the poverty that plagues all households, we are risking our lives by attempting this dangerous adventure,” insisted one of the survivors met there.

Residents, especially owners of motor vehicles, are asking the State to look for foreign currency in order to stock up on sufficient fuel for the entire country, which would reduce or even eliminate these risks.

https://www.sosmediasburundi.org/2024/05/20/photo-de-la-week-des-burundais-vont-sprovider-en-carburant-en-rdc-le-prix-y-est-revu- on the rise/

The governor of Cibitoke threatens to sanction in accordance with the law any person who illegally obtains fuel from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Illustrative photo: a Hippopotamus on Avenue du Large in the commercial city Bujumbura