Lake Rweru is a lake close to the northernmost point of

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

in central Africa. The northern shore of the lake forms part of Burundi's border with

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

. It is the most distant origin point of the

Nile River The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...

. The

Kagera River The Kagera River, also known as Akagera River, or Alexandra Nile, is an East African river, forming part of the upper headwaters of the Nile and carrying water from its most distant source.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: ...

, considered by many as the start point of the Nile, rises at the northern part of the lake, located in

Geography

The lake has a surface area of between two countries,

() and

(). The lake has a shoreline of approximately 76 km. The lake is very shallow in most parts and has a mean depth of 2.1 m with its maximum depth at 3 m located in Burundi. The

flows out of the lake in Burundi and flows east along Rwanda's border until it joins the Ruvubu River.

Controversy

In August 2014 fishermen in

living around the lake in the Muyinga Province recovered over 40 unidentified bodies floating in the lake. Most of the bodies were wrapped in plastic. The bodies recovered were in the advance stages of decomposition, alarming the local villagers due to health concerns. Burundi claims that all the bodies recovered were Rwandan by nationality and there are no credible conclusions to how the bodies were killed. Both countries deny that the bodies are their citizens. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

agreed to take the case after both countries showed lack of interest to look into the matter.

References

{{Attached KML Rweru Burundi–Rwanda border Rweru Rweru

Geography

Controversy

See also

References