Ruanda plans to attack Burundi, President Evarist Ndayishimiye tells BBC

The president of Burundi, Évariste, Tyayishimye, tells the BBC that he has seen “credible intelligence” that Rwanda plans to attack his country, and that Rwanda had tried to launch a coup d’etat a decade ago in Burundi similar to “what he is doing in the Democratic Republic of Congo” now.

Ruanda has already responded, calling for the comments of the “surprising” president and insisting that the two neighbors are cooperating in the security plans for their shared border, which has been closed for more than a year.

Despite the extensive evidence of the UN, Ruanda has always denied putting together and supporting the rebel group M23, which has recently seized large parts of Dr. Eastern Dr. Congo next to Rwanda’s troops.

Ruanda has also denied the links with the resurgent Grupo Red Tabara Rebel, that President Undayishimye says that it is a force of power similar to M23 and is being supported by Rwanda to destabilize Burundi.

“They would say that it is an internal problem when it is Rwanda (who is) the problem. We know that he (the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame) has a plan to attack Burundi,” added Tyayishimiye. “The Burundians will not accept being killed as the Congolese are killed.

“But now we have no plans to attack Rwanda. We want to solve that problem through dialogue.”

In the heart of the comments of Tyayishimye there was a call to peace and the complete implementation of an agreement between the two nations, a peace agreement that had been signed in previous years but, according to Burundi, he had not been honored by Rwanda.

“The people who made the 2015 coup d’etat (they were) organized by Rwanda, and then escaped. Rwanda organized them: he went to recruit the young people in the Mahama camp. He trained them, gave them weapons, financed them. They live in Rwanda’s hand,” he alleges.

“If Ruanda agrees to deliver them and take them to justice, the problem would be finished.”

“We are asking our neighbors to respect the peace agreements we have made,” added Tyayishimye. “There is no need for us to go to war. We want a dialogue, but we will not be inactive if we are attacked.”

“We have nothing to ask (from) Rwanda (in return), but they refuse because they have a bad plan: they wanted to do what they are doing in the RDC.”

The Rwanda-Burundi border remains closed long after Tabara’s red rebels carried out several attacks on Buroundal soil.

While the situation with Rwanda is critical, it is not Burundi’s only problem.

To the west, the continuous conflict in the DR Conggo rich in minerals has reached a boiling point with rebel groups, militias and foreign parties that compete to control the valuable resources of the country.

“External forces are responsible for perpetuating this conflict. They do not want peace in the RDC because they want to continue raising their resources,” said BBC.

“The crisis in RDC is not about people, it’s about minerals.”

The solution, he argues, is to bring all parties to the table, including “all opposition political parties and armed groups”, which must “sit together and see together how they can create the best future for all citizens.”

But in his opinion, everything depends on whether Rwanda will be willing.

“The problem between Rwanda and the RDC is a small problem, they can solve it without killing people. For example, I hear that Rwanda says that he goes there (at the RDC) due to the FDLR (a rebel group of Rwanda accused of links to the genocide of 1994).

“But who (is being) killed? All I see is Congolese, why do they kill the Congolese when they say they are looking for FDLR?”

Since the M23 rebels and Ruandesas troops began to take cities in the east of the Congo in January, the war has forced many thousands of Congolese people to flee from violence and their homes.

So desperate are to find security that some have even crossed the Rusizi river in improvised vessels or swim to get to Burundi, Despite the dangerous trip killing many people, including a three -year -old boy.

Living precariously in the refugee fields, some say they want to return to their country, but that they complain that the border with the Congo Burundi-DR is closed. This is something that Burundi’s president denies.

“No, our border with the Congo is not closed. Where did they go to Burundi? Even today they can use (the Rusizi River) to return.”

When the BBC tells you to cross the Rusizi rivers put refugees in a danger position, Ndayishimye replies: “You know, we do not invite them.

“They can return, we will not deny them to return. But when they are here, they are like our visitors. If a visitor comes home, it is you who chooses the room where he will stay. Even the food they have is what we share. They can’t say that I will eat meat when you eat fish.”

For the war to end and that the Congolese achieves a lasting piece, Ndayishimye says that the mandate of international forces in DR Congo must be expanded so that they can involve the rebels. He has also declared that Burundi’s forces will not be removed from Dr. Congo until Burundi is sure that his borders are safe.

Earlier this month, the leaders of southern Africa announced that their The forces would be withdrawn from Dr. Congo where they were helping to fight M23, after at least 19 were killed.