The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, has said it is disturbing to see the Burundian Ambassador in Belgium making reckless remarks suggesting that he sees no problem with Rwanda being attacked, adding that such words deserve to be questioned and should not go without consequences.
When the Burundian Ambassador in Belgium, Thérence Ntahiraja, was interviewed by a journalist about the widely discussed allegations that Burundi has a plan to collaborate with anti-Rwanda forces to attack and overthrow the current government, the diplomat began by laughing loudly.
The diplomat went on to falsely accuse Rwanda of playing a role in the region’s problems, even though it is widely known that Rwanda consistently advocates for peace in various countries and even deploys troops to restore it where it has been lost.
He said: “Mr. Journalist, let me also ask you a question. Looking at the problems and chaos in this region caused by the country of Rwanda, where Rwanda has violated international laws governing borders, sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, would it be surprising if Rwanda were attacked by those who want to hold it accountable for the problems it is causing in the region?”
Burundi has also been linked to collaboration with the FDLR terrorist group, which is made up of remnants of those who carried out the Genocide against the Tutsi that claimed the lives of over one million innocent people, and which continues to seek to attack Rwanda.
In this interview, Ambassador Thérence Ntahiraja also said that he sees no problem with those Rwandans who committed atrocities returning to attack Rwanda.
He said: “Regarding that, I think that given the many wrongs committed by the Rwandan government, Rwandans preparing to be attacked by those they expelled is their own business, and it is not Burundi’s doing.”
The Rwandans referred to by this Burundian diplomat are part of a terrorist group that has not stopped committing atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they have continued to spread their ideology, killed Congolese people of Tutsi origin, and carried out attacks in Rwanda at various times, claiming the lives of some innocent people.
Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, said it is disturbing to see a diplomat making such remarks, knowing full well that they go against the code of conduct expected of diplomats.
Amb. Nduhungirehe said: “That the accredited ambassador of Burundi to the Kingdom of Belgium, who is well aware of the rules of diplomatic conduct, would agree to make such reckless remarks on social media against a neighboring country, openly expressing support for an attack on Rwanda by the genocidal FDLR group, is something that deserves to be questioned.”
Burundi has on more than one or two occasions shown that it has plans to attack Rwanda or assist those who want to launch attacks against it. President Evariste Ndayishimiye himself has stated this on several occasions, including remarks he made in Kinshasa, DRC, in January 2024.
Furthermore, in March 2025, in an interview President Ndayishimiye gave to the BBC, he said he had information that Rwanda was planning to attack his country using the RED-Tabara group, going through Congo, and that his country was also prepared to attack Rwanda through Kirundo.
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