A Rwandan soldier on Wednesday opened fire in a bar and killed five civilians in a southwestern town of the country, the army said.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the early morning shooting.

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But the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) identified the gunman as a 39-year-old sergeant.

“RDF has arrested the suspect and will take necessary legal action against him,” the east African country’s military said in a statement.

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In 2020, six Rwandan soldiers were arrested for allegedly raping and beating civilians during the Covid pandemic lockdown in the Kangondo slum in the capital Kigali.