{Burundi and Rwanda have accused each other of being responsible for dozens of bodies discovered in a border lake in August, raising tensions between the two restive Central African nations.}
The discovery of up to 40 bodies, some bound and wrapped in plastic bags on the Burundian side of Lake Rweru, has sparked concerns among the international community about a region plagued by years of civil wars. Last month, the U.S. urged the two countries to conduct a “prompt, thorough, and impartial” investigation into the deaths, with assistance from international forensic experts.
But Kigali and Bujumbura remain at odds over how to move forward with a joint investigation.
Rwandan police said on Wednesday that there are no “Rwandan citizens” among the dead, a day after Burundi’s chief prosecutor; Valentin Bagorikunda said that investigations by Burundi had concluded that all the bodies “came from Rwanda.”
“Our investigators have visited Burundi several times since August, and according to our findings none of the victims is Rwandese,” a Rwandan police official told The Wall Street Journal. “We aren’t aware of the findings our Burundian brothers are talking about.”
Mr. Bagorikunda told a news conference in Bujumbura Tuesday that following a thorough examination of the site where the bodies were discovered, as well as interviews with fishermen on the lake, authorities had established that the corpses were washed down the Akagera River, which originates in Rwanda, before flowing into Lake Rweru.
Both countries are populated by tribes which have fought each other for decades, resulting into serious human rights abuses. On top of that, Burundi has in recent months been plagued by political violence ahead of the 2015 presidential elections.
Agencies
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