Burundi's President accuses Kagame of 'expansionist' agenda
Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye awaits the arrival of guests during the extraordinary Summit of East African Community Heads of State at the state house in Bujumbura, Burundi, on February 4, 2023. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- They are training and arming young Burundian refugees and sending them to fight in DRC, the President said.
Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye has called on the international community to rein in Rwanda, which he accuses of “annexing parts of its neighbouring countries.”
Addressing the diplomatic corps in Bujumbura on Saturday, President Ndayishimiye referred to DRC’s city of Goma which was last week was captured by M23 rebels backed by Rwanda.
“If Rwanda has decided to start annexing some parts of its neighbours, a time will come and they also attack Burundi. They are training and arming young Burundian refugees and sending them to fight in DRC, they will also send them to Burundi, but we shall not allow that,” the President said.
“I've told Burundians if the international community keeps looking on, we shall not do the same here in Burundi.”
"You see what is happening around us, why is everyone quiet? It’s like the international community is not seeing the consequences of this instability. I am telling you if it goes on like this, the war will spread into the entire region, because our populations will not stomach it. If Rwanda says its only problem is FDLR, isn't that a problem that can be solved through peaceful methods? Why sacrifice millions of innocent Congolese under the pretext of fighting FDLR?”
President Ndayishimiye sent Burundian troops to fight alongside the Congolese army and affiliated militias and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops and mercenaries.
“Fighting foreign armed groups in eastern DRC is why I sent troops there, and you can bear witness stability had come back,” the Burundian leader said.
Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe refuted President Ndayishimiye’s claims.
“If the Burundi National Defence Forces had been deployed in the DRC to fight foreign armed groups, why did they never attack FDLR, which is foreign genocidal group? Why do the Burundian forces instead collaborate with the same FDLR?” the minister said.
He said that as part of the ceasefire negotiated by the East African Community, the Burundian contingent, which was deployed in the EAC Regional Force (EACRF), inherited many localities in the territory of Masisi, previously held by the M23, who also ceded 80 percent of the territories it held to the EACRF.
“But, from October 7 to 10, 2023, the extremist Nyatura and Wazalendo militias, as well as the genocidal FDLR forces, decided to attack Nturo village in a scorched earth operation, burning 300 houses of Congolese Tutsi, in a cleverly organised ethnic cleansing. According to the village chief, the Burundian forces were stationed on a hill overlooking the village of Nturo, quietly observing the scene for several hours without intervening. These villagers were only saved by M23 fighters coming from Rutshuru,” Mr Nduhungirehe said.
He added that from October 2023, Burundian forces, engaged in more open fighting against the M23 and the Congolese Tutsi, taking advantage of the expulsion of the EACRF by President Tshisekedi, in favour of the SamiDRC.
