WESTERN PROVINCE RUSIZI-Police at Kamembe has detained two women of Congolese nationality for trying to leave the country with military hardware. Police said the women, Florence Kabombayi Malimatonde, 27 and Octavie Nicole Bazirake, 25 were on Monday this week found in possession of five stick Grenades and five arm magazines in their bags at Rusizi 11 boarder at around 4:26 pm. They were allegedly suspected of involvement into rebel activities against the government of Rwanda. The women allegedly had other military gear including six caps, six pairs of gumboots, two hand bags, six belts, a machinegun catalogue and three pairs of uniforms with one shirt bearing a decoration of an officer. District police Commander, superintendent Francis Muheto said that the women are suspected of being rebels with Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda [FDLR] and Ex-FAR insurgents that are currently engaged in subversive activities against the government with bases in DRC. “We arrested the two suspects at Rusizi 11 boarder after our security operatives found them with five grenades and five bullet magazines in their bags,” he said, He added: “what I can also say is that it is plausible that they are rebels attached to forces for the liberation of Rwanda [FDLR], Ex-far and Interahamwe that are hiding in DRC.” However, in an interview with The New Times, the women denied any rebel connections saying they were heading to Ruberezi Army detach in Buvira of DRC via Kamanyora frontier where they would later meet their husbands who are soldiers. “Though we have been arrested with military hardware, we are not rebels at all but we were just on our way to Ruberezi Army camp in DRC to meet our husbands who are soldiers operating from there” Kabombayi who said was coming from Goma claimed that she was wife to Lieutenant Joseph Magembe while Bazirake, a resident of Bunia in North Kivu province claims that her husband is Lieutenant Ashile Asemba, both soldiers with Congolese army in Ruberizi region near Buvira.Ends
