Burundi accuses Rwanda of Supporting and Hosting Unsuccessful 2015 Coup D’état Leaders

Tensions between Burundi and Rwanda appear to be rising after Burundi’s Foreign Minister, Alain Nyamitwe, accused Rwanda of supporting and hosting leaders that reportedly tried to oust the Burundi government.

The situation in Burundi has been tense since the ruling party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy, announced that incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza would run for a controversial third term in the 2015 presidential election.  This unpopular decision sparked a spate of protests where at least 70 people have died. On May 13th, an attempted coup d’état, led by Major General Godefroid Niyombare, aimed to remove the president from power. This proved unsuccessful as the coup collapsed and government forces regained power the following day.

It is due to the leaders from this coup attempt that Burundi accuses Rwanda of harbouring and helping launch cross-border attacks, Mr. Nyamitwe told the BBC Kinyarwanda service.

He adds that they have, ‘extensive information’, about recruitment in refugee camps. He cites the Mahama Refugee Camp as an example where refugees are taken for military training by those, including Rwandians, who seek to further destabilize the political climate in Burundi.

The reasons Rwanda would invest in such a destabilizing program, through mobilizing resources to equip rebels with the expertise to disrupt political function in Burundi, is unclear and were not elaborated on by Mr. Nyamitwe. Notable however, is the strong condemnation of President Nkurunziza by the Rwandan President following his declaration of running for a third term in office. It is this condemnation that underpins Burundian allegations against the Rwandan government.

Rwanda has denied all allegations of harbouring coup leaders or supporting military training. In defence, it says that Burundi is trying to defer attention away from its internal problems.

This is not the first incidence of Burundi allegations against the Rwandan State. In September this year, Burundi released a number of Rwandan citizens who were held on suspicion of spying for the Rwandan government. At this stage, only 14 of the 30 Rwandan nationals accused have been released.

Similarly, Rwanda claims that Burundi has sent spies across the border to mix with Burundian refugees. Approximately 70,000 Burundians are living in refugee camps in Rwanda after fleeing the political unrest seen within Burundi in the past year.

The mutual suspicion between the two states is testament to the growing strain in the relationship. Despite relatively warm relations between Rwanda and Burundi in the past, tensions between the two have been rising since 2012, when the leaders of each state sharply disagreed over the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

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