WESTERN PROVINCE
 
RUBAVU — Police in Gisenyi town are holding 17- year old girl for allegedly killing her 42 year old mother, Cecile Nyirangango. 

The girl, names withheld, partly admitted the crime to police but said it was an accident. It happened on Wednesday December 3 when she started a fight with her younger sister over a basin.

Their mother, she said, was hit in the process of separating them. The angry elder sister, the girl further narrated, pushed the elderly woman to the ground she hit her head on a stone dying instantly.

"It was an accident; I honestly did not mean to kill my mother. I just pushed her because my young sister was continuously insulting me after our mother had stopped the fight. I did not expect her to fall down and die,” the girl said, from the police station.

Vital Rutagengwa, one of the Rubavu district High Court prosecutors, said prosecution is still investigating the case.

"It’s too early to comment on our findings, we are making investigations to find out if the girl killed her mother intentionally or accidentally as we look at the possible implications according to the law. That’s why I can’t tell the prosecution’s stand at the moment,” explained Rutagengwa.

Calling on residents to always prevent family conflicts, Rutagengwa said they have launched joint investigations with the Police and other authorities.

"There shouldn’t be any reason for people to fight; we have had many of these cases. People should learn to solve their differences by involving elders and relatives rather than resorting to fighting,” he said.

According to Jean Paul Rugema, one of the neighbours, the deceased’s home has previously been characterised by constant misunderstandings and fights- which at one point led the deceased to separate with her husband.

"There has been misunderstandings and conflicts in their family, constant quarrels and misunderstanding led to their parents’ divorce,” said Rugema.

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