Grenade Attacks In Kigali, Rwanda

Two grenade attacks have rocked Kigali, capital city of Rwanda. One person was killed and at least 28 others were wounded. The violence is the latest in a series of attacks in the central African state.

Two grenade blasts in Rwanda's capital Kigali have killed one person and wounded at least 28 people. It is the latest of a series of grenade attacks that have rocked the central African state since early December.

[Casimille Rwagatare, Grenade Attack Victim]: (Kinyarwanda)
"Many people were wounded, blood was everywhere, people were crying, I was lying down, it was really chaotic, and then after a while the ambulance came to evacuate us."

The explosions happened within an hour of each other on Saturday evening. Witnesses said men in civilian clothes threw the first grenade from a moving car at a busy market area at around 7 p.m. The second grenade was thrown at a bus park in Kigali's Nyabugogo district.

[Casimille Rwagatare, Grenade Attack Victim]:(Kinyarwanda)
"The car was driven at high speed when it was approaching here, someone threw a grenade but it did not explode. He then threw a second one which exploded together with the first one. The car was driven away, civilians were wounded and I saw one person dead."

President Paul Kagame's administration has linked some of the previous attacks to former army chief Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa. The former army chief fled into exile in South Africa in February. He denies the allegations.

Rwanda has become a popular destination for gorilla tracking, helping tourism become the largest foreign exchange earner. But the violence may taint the country’s stable and secure image.

The grenade attacks occur ahead of August's presidential election.

Rights groups have warned of a government crackdown on the opposition and the media in the run-up to the poll.

Two newspapers have been suspended and an outspoken opposition leader has been arrested and charged with crimes linked to genocide.