'President Paul Kagame is a bad neighbour': Burundi closes its border with Rwanda, deports Rwandans

The Minister of Internal Affairs in Burundi on Thursday declared the suspension of diplomatic relations with Rwanda and said that the country has decided to close its border and expel Rwandan citizens. The minister asserted that these measures were taken in response to allegations of Rwanda’s support for a rebel group responsible for attacks on Burundi. “(Rwandan President) Paul Kagame is a bad neighbour … We have suspended all relations with him until he comes to his senses. He is harboring criminals who are destabilising Burundi,” Associated Press quoted Internal Affairs Minister Martin Niteretse as saying while meeting with security officials in Kayanza province near the Rwandan border. The minister said Burundi’s government had started deporting Rwandan nationals. “All the borders are closed. We don’t need Rwandans here, and even those who were on our territory, we chased them out,” he said. Relations were severed following a recent address by Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, wherein he accused Rwanda of supporting Burundian rebels identified as RED-Tabara, a group designated as a terrorist organization by Burundi. These rebels asserted responsibility for a December 22 attack, claiming the lives of 10 security officials according to their account, while the government reported 20 casualties, primarily civilians. Yolande Makolo, the spokesperson for the Rwandan government, expressed in a statement that Burundi’s decision is regrettable and goes against the principles of regional cooperation set by the East African Community. Rwanda has consistently refuted allegations of supporting the rebels. On Thursday, a Burundian manager for a bus company said police were turning back their vehicles coming from Rwanda at the Gasenyi-Nemba border crossing. The manager spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Révérien Burikukiye, who distributes food products between the two countries, said several Rwandans who use the Ruhwa border crossing were blocked while trying to return home, along with Burundians who had gone to a market in Rwanda. “We are neighbors, our only concern is to live in harmony with the Rwandans," Burikukiye said. “If the leaders have differences, let them resolve them without making us suffer.” This is not the first time Burundi has closed its border with Rwanda. It closed them in 2015 during political violence in Burundi that followed the disputed reelection of then-President Pierre Nkurunziza. Burundian authorities accused Rwanda of supporting the protesters and welcoming the perpetrators of a failed coup. The border reopened in 2022. The RED-Tabara rebel group first appeared in 2011 and has been accused of a string of attacks in Burundi since 2015. It is believed to be based in eastern Congo. With inputs from agencies