Rwandan peacekeepers killed in shooting in Central African Republic

Five Rwandan soldiers serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic have been killed in a shooting at the battalion’s headquarters in Bangui, the Rwandan Defence Ministry said.

The events surrounding the shooting remain unclear. Reuters, citing the Rwandan
Defence Ministry, state that one of the soldiers opened fire on his colleagues and then committed suicide. However, the AFP are reporting that he shot his colleagues and was then gunned down, citing a military source.

“Investigations have immediately commenced to establish the motive behind this deplorable shooting,” spokesman Brigadier General Joseph Nzabamwita said. “We suspect terrorism, without ruling out mental illness as the cause.”

The injured soldiers were immediately transported to a hospital in Bangui.

Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, triggering reprisals by “anti-balaka” Christian militias who drove tens of thousands of Muslims from the south in a de-facto partition.

The UN mission in Central African Republic, known as MINUSCA, was deployed to establish security for the transitional government.

(BALOOGGSBLOG, FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)