Taarifa Investigative Desk has reliably learned that Burundi has deployed thousands of its troops along the border with Rwanda.
Eye witnesses quoted by local media say the reinforcements have been going on for the past days triggering fears among the residents along the border.
“A significant military buildup has been observed for several days along the border, particularly in the Gasenyi-Nemba area of Busoni commune, Butanyerera province in northern Burundi,” a source said on condition of anonymity.
“Heavy weapons have been deployed to counter a possible attack from Rwanda,” an officer of the FDNB (Burundi National Defense Force) was quoted by local media (sos media Burundi).
Early this year, the President of Burundi Gen.Evariste Ndayishimiye warned that if Uvira got captured by AFC-M23 rebels, he would send his troops to capture Kigali.
With tension growing a single miscalculation could change everything.
On the Burundi side of the border the military and a notorious Imbonerakure militia group conduct joint night patrols.
In several localities in Busoni and other communes of Butanyerera, the Imbonerakure militia established by the ruling party CNDD-FDD, have reportedly been reinforced.
“Night patrols have doubled or tripled. We see groups of young people accompanied by police officers going around the villages,” a teacher told SOS mediasbutundi.
According to witnesses, trucks full of soldiers also arrived to support the troops already in place, particularly in support of the 411th Battalion in Mutwenzi.
“We sleep fully clothed, ready to flee if there’s any shooting,” says a mother from Gasenyi.
A shopkeeper from Nemba adds, “One spark could change everything. We live as if war could break out at any moment.”
“We’re being asked to be home before 8 p.m. It’s not written anywhere, but everyone knows what it means,” says a young man from Munzenze.
“We don’t know if tomorrow will bring peace or war. We’re waiting… but we don’t even know what we’re waiting for,” says another border resident.
Burundi’s Unfulfilled Demands
In 2015, while President Pierre Nkurunziza was out of the country attending an East Africa Community summit in Tanzania, General Niyombare led a coup to oust his boss but the coup was crashed after a fierce gun battle.
Gen Ndayishimiye has since 2020 been accusing Rwanda of hosting the men responsible for plotting a coup in 2015.
He repeatedly demands Rwanda to hand over the military officers which Kigali says are protected by international laws.
“Rwanda cannot hand them back. We would be breaching international law,” Kigali said in 2020.
“The so-called coup plotters ran to Rwanda as refugees, and we are bound by international norms in terms of handling refugees,” Government said in previous explanations about the issue.
“They also have our refugees but we are not asking them back. No government should be able to do that unless the person is not a refugee but a criminal,” Kigali said.
