Burundi’s Foreign Minister, Édouard Bizimana, has said the FDLR poses no threat to Rwanda and has never attacked the country. He also claimed that hunger is driving Rwandans into Burundi to steal crops, remarks viewed as disparaging toward Rwandans.
Bizimana made the comments during an interview with Main Switch 27 about tensions between Burundi and Rwanda.
Asked about repeated allegations of cooperation between Burundi and the FDLR, Bizimana categorically denied any links but argued that the armed group should not concern Rwanda.
“The FDLR has never attacked Rwanda. People have been talking about it for more than 30 years, yet the group has never carried out an attack inside Rwanda. Since 1996, operations have instead been conducted against it in cooperation with the Congolese government,” he said.
Bizimana added: “We cannot support the FDLR because we know it is of no use.”
The FDLR has, however, carried out several attacks on Rwandan territory, including an October 2019 assault in the Kinigi and Nyange sectors of Musanze District that killed 14 civilians.
Some Burundian soldiers deployed to support the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo in fighting in eastern DRC have also spoken about cooperation with the FDLR after being captured by M23.
During the interview, Bizimana reiterated views interpreted as supportive of the FDLR by insisting that the group poses no threat. His comments come as international actors continue to urge the Congolese authorities to sever ties with the group and neutralize it, as provided for under the Washington peace agreement.
Criticizes Rwanda’s approach to ethnic identity
Bizimana also said Burundi and Rwanda had adopted different approaches after their painful histories of ethnic division. He praised Burundi’s model while criticizing Rwanda’s, despite Rwanda’s approach being credited with contributing to the country’s widely recognized progress.
He appeared to suggest that one section of Rwandan society is not adequately valued. Rwanda’s leadership, however, has promoted national unity and inclusion, encouraging citizens to see one another first as compatriots rather than through ethnic identities.
“We understood early on that Hutus, Tutsis, Twa and others must live together. We have one country, the one God gave us, and we are obliged to share it and everything in it, help one another and build it together,” Bizimana said.
He added: “Others [Rwanda] chose a different path. I do not believe that path is sound, because we saw in Burundi’s history how such an approach ended, you all saw it. I believe they will eventually realize that the path they have chosen offers no solution.”
Claims Rwandans steal crops in Burundi
Burundi’s top diplomat went beyond politics and commented on Rwandans’ living conditions, alleging that hunger forces some of them to cross into Burundi and steal food.
“I believe they can see the problems they are facing. We have heard that Rwandans regularly enter Burundi to steal, crossing the border to take crops from people’s fields because hunger has hit them hard,” he said.
A regional affairs observer noted that Burundians have historically travelled to Rwanda in search of livelihoods. The observer said this was not inherently problematic because Burundians and Rwandans have long regarded one another as closely related peoples.
The analyst added that, while he did not want to provoke a debate about living conditions in Burundi, the two countries were not comparable. He argued that Rwanda had made considerably more progress and that Rwandans were therefore unlikely to cross into Burundi to steal crops.
According to the analyst, Rwandans now pursue broader opportunities and, when they consider seeking a livelihood abroad, tend to look farther afield.“To claim that they go to Burundi to steal crops is simply to disparage them,” he said.
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