Rugombo: a fuel trafficker killed in Rusizi

Richard Dusabe’s body was collected in the Rusizi River on Thursday at the Mparambo 2 hill in Rugombo commune in Cibitoke province (north-west of Burundi). The suspect of the murder was arrested and handed over to the police. Rugombo administrator asks the angry population to wait for the outcome of the investigation into the case.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Known as a fuel trafficker, Richard Dusabe was assassinated on the way to the other side in the DRC to buy and bring fuel, according to our sources.

“As they arrived in the middle of the Rusizi River, his ferryman killed him and immersed his body in the waters of this river,” residents say.

They also indicate the smuggler stole all of the deceased’s money as well as all of his property, including cell phones.

“When we were alerted, a lot of angry people went to see the smuggler, because they knew that Richard had left with him. Had it not been for the intervention of the police, we were going to put him to death,” witnesses say.

The man was arrested and questioned by the police, according to the Rugombo municipal administrator. Gilbert Manirakiza asks the family of the deceased and his loved ones to be patient and wait for the results of the investigation.
https://www.sosmediasburundi.org/2024/06/28/cibitoke-trafic-du-carburant-en-provenance-de-la-rdc-sur-la-rn5/

In just three months, at least seven people have been killed in similar circumstances. Residents of Cibitoke indicate that several people have engaged in fuel trafficking on the black market since the beginning of the fuel shortage in Burundi for several months. To find fuel, traders cross the Rusizi and source it in the DRC and resell it at a price far higher than the official price.

Recently the Uvira administration in the province of South Kivu bordering Cibitoke had banned all traffic in petroleum products via the Rusizi River separating the two countries in the Great Lakes region of Africa, before reversing this measure.