President Kagame hints at Rwanda-Burundi reconciliation #rwanda #RwOT

Kagame reflected on the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between government forces and the M23 rebel group, which is composed of Congolese fighters advocating for their rights.

He also spoke about how Rwanda is being unfairly blamed for the crisis. He noted that Belgium, which colonized Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC, continues to push for Rwanda to be punished and sanctioned by the international community.

According to him, Belgium has encouraged the DRC and Burundi to turn against Rwanda, but he suggested that relations between Rwanda and Burundi are set to improve.

'They [the former colonizers] initially grouped Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC together and encouraged these other two nations to oppose Rwanda. However, things are gradually becoming clearer,' he said.

He added, 'I don't want to dwell too much on this, but we are working towards better relations with one of these two countries.'

Although President Kagame did not explicitly name Burundi, political analysts quickly inferred that he was referring to it especially since Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, recently stated that Rwanda and Burundi are on the right path toward ending tensions.

'The relationship between Rwanda and Burundi is improving as both countries continue discussions to resolve their differences,' the minister earlier stated.

Relations between Rwanda and Burundi deteriorated in late 2023 when Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye accused Rwanda of supporting the armed rebel group RED Tabara, which launched an attack in the Gatumba Zone near Bujumbura.

Rwanda denied these allegations, clarifying that it had no involvement with any group opposing the Burundian government. However, Burundi dismissed Rwanda's explanations and, in January 2024, decided to close all land borders between the two nations, citing security concerns.

The East African Community (EAC), under the leadership of South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit, attempted to mediate between the two countries to restore cooperation in line with the regional bloc's mission of facilitating trade and movement among member states.

The start of 2025 was particularly tense as President Ndayishimiye made strong statements against Rwanda in late January, signaling readiness for confrontation.

His remarks echoed those he had made a year earlier in Kinshasa, where he claimed he would support Rwandan youth in overthrowing their government, asserting that they were being oppressed in the region.

President Kagame also pointed out that Belgium has taken sides in regional conflicts despite being the root cause of many of these issues, unfairly blaming Rwanda for the region's instability.

'Belgium colonized these three countries [Rwanda, Burundi, and the DRC], yet they now go to Kinshasa and point fingers at Rwanda, calling for sanctions against us and urging the world to act against Rwanda. How shameless can you be? Calling on the entire world to gang up against Rwanda, just like that?' Kagame wondered.

This is not the first time Rwanda and Burundi have experienced tensions and later resolved them. Between 2015 and 2020, the two countries had a strained relationship, but through dialogue, they reconciled and reopened their borders.