Highlights:
The Burundi Crisis caused by an attempted failed coup spiraled by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a controversial third term in office as president has not only raised tension in Burundi but in the entire Great Lakes region.
Tensions between Rwanda and Burundi are the most notable caused by accusation thrown across by both states accusing each other of advancing conflicts.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame become vocal about the controversial third term of his counterpart recent arrest of 30 Rwandans in Burundi among other things.
The two healing countries have quite a lot in common ranging from demographics, economic statuses, history, geographical positioning among others.
Assessment:
Tensions between Rwanda and Burundi are very high as the two countries try to overcome the suspicion each has over the other. Burundi has been plunged into crisis that threatens its stability shortly after its President Pierre Nkurunziza was cleared to run for a third controversial term as president.
The tensions were stirred mainly after Rwanda’s Paul Kagame openly failed to support Nkurunziza bid in office for a third term. Additionally, Burundi accused Rwanda of harboring the orchestrators of the failed coup allowing them to live in Rwanda and killers of Nkurunziza’s top aide security chief Adolphe Nshimirimana.
Recently, 30 Rwandans were arrested in Burundi and efforts to launch a campaign to facilitate their release from Burundi have been met with insubordination by the Burundian authorities further broadening the mistrust between the two.
Background:
Burundi and Rwanda both belong to the Great Lakes Region, both landlocked and have similar demographic composition of majority of their citizens being Hutus, minority Tutsi and a negligible Pigmy population on both.
Both Rwanda and Burundi suffered a huge deal of conflict wars on ethnic lines mainly the Hutus and Tutsis fighting highlighted by the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.
Rwanda has been accused of training the March 23 (M23) rebels and financing them in their rebellion in DR Congo. The accusations were in line with the presence of the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) who have with them the masterminds of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda in DR Congo hence seemingly posing a potential threat to Rwanda’s stability and peace. The FDLR
Summary:
It is in the best interest of both countries to solve the mistrust and tension building between them to avoiding plunging into violence not only of the two but also the very volatile region as a whole.
Rwanda’s Kagame has been linked to arc towards being against Nkurunziza terming his third term as illegitimate and indirectly supposedly blaming Burundi’s crisis on Nkurunziza. The refuge Rwanda has offered to over 72,000 Burundian refugees including political figures, journalists and laypeople is not enough to conclude Rwanda harbors political conspirators.
In the event a conflict spurred between Burundi and Rwanda due to the tension in play, it would divide the Eastern African bloc with a country like Tanzania on Burundi’s side since her endorsement of Nkurunziza’s run for office. Uganda would take sides with Rwanda due to their being historical allies drawing back to the support for Kagame-led rebels’ ouster of the Hutu Government.
The East African Community foreseeing the looming catastrophic outcomes of the crisis in Bujumbura, they have consistently intervened for more diplomacy, negotiations and determination in finding lasting solutions. Additionally, international actors have been urged to increase their involvement in the conflict solution before the Burundian crises spills over to the entire region.
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