According to Congolese authorities the incident began 13 km (8 miles) north of Goma, when the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) had targeted a group of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) soldiers when they refused to stop after being spotted on Rwandan territory, having crossed the frontier to buy beer.

[citation needed] During the shoot-out one DRC soldier was shot dead, during the exchange of fire with RDF who acted solely in self-defense.

[citation needed] The intruders were then pushed back towards the Congolese border, leaving the bodies of two DRC soldiers behind.

One of the dead soldiers was identified as Corporal Mbanza Numba Bisogolo, who was found with documents which indicated they were on a reconnaissance mission.

Following the shoot-out which Rwanda denounced the incident as an "act of provocation", allowed journalists and military observers to the scene of the shooting, in Busura, near Rubava in the country's west.