Burundi has decided to shut down its borders with Rwanda. The reason behind this action is Burundi’s accusation that Rwanda is providing financial support to rebel attacks.
In December of last year, a rebel group called Red Tabara, which operates in Burundi, carried out an attack near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), resulting in the deaths of 20 individuals.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has denied these allegations, but the Burundian government has labeled him as an unfavorable neighbor.
“We have stopped ties with him until he changes” said Burundi’s Interior Minister Martin Niteretse.
Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye made the claim in December, following the incident.
According to AFP, the Rwandan government reacted that it “regrets the unilateral closure of the border by Burundi”.
It referred to the border closure as a “unfortunate decision” that contradicted the norms of regional cooperation and East African Community integration.
Red Tabara confirmed carrying out the December attack, but claimed they only murdered nine troops and a police officer.
The group operates from the South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which shares a border with Burundi.
It is unclear whether the border closure includes both land and air travel. In 2015, Burundi closed its border with Rwanda due to political tensions and later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After seven years, the borders were reopened, but only land crossings were allowed during that time. However, RwandAir, the airline carrier, continued its commercial flights to Burundi.
Despite sharing a similar language, ethnic composition, and colonial history, relations between Rwanda and Burundi have been strained.
