Rumonge: the trial for the 272 Burundian soldiers who refused to go and fight alongside the FARDC, in the second degree

This Tuesday opened in Rumonge, southwestern Burundi, the appeal trial of 272 soldiers of the FDNB (Burundi National Defense Force) who refused to go to fight alongside the Congolese army last year. The general staff of the Burundian army keeps asserting they are guilty of “revolt”. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Only one prosecution witness was heard this Tuesday. This is Brigadier General Élie Ndizigiye also known as Muzinga. At the time when those concerned refused to fight alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and its allies against the M23, this witness from the FDNB staff commanded the Burundian contingent assigned to the East African Community Regional Force, EAC. It completed its mission in December 2023. General Muzinga was called to the stand for having been approached by the command of the contingent that is in Congo as part of a bilateral partnership between the Burundian and Congolese governments as a “mediator” to “calm down these soldiers who had refused orders”.

“General Muzinga’s presentation was very long,” our sources said.

At least 150 prisoners had lawyers assisting them. They had a short moment to explain themselves. As in the first degree, they denounced “the bad command surrounding the mission”.

For these soldiers “this operation is surrounded by total incomprehension, the government disowns us in the event of death and it is unacceptable to fight in the uniform of a foreign army (FARDC uniform). Worse still, no mission order or additional salary for this task”.

This Wednesday, the Military Court will hear the commander-in-chief of the Burundian forces deployed in the province of North Kivu alongside the FARDC, local militias backed by the Congolese authorities, the SADEC (Southern African Development Community) force and the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) according to some accusations, in the war against the M23.

Unlike similar trials, the local press has never been allowed to cover this hearing, which is nevertheless “public”.

Until now, Burundi has two contingents on the soil of the vast Central African country. They are based in the provinces of South Kivu, bordering Burundi, to “track down armed groups of Burundian origin” in particular, and in North Kivu to “help the loyalist army and its allies” to “resist the M23”.

The M23 is a former Tutsi rebellion that took up arms again at the end of 2021, accusing the Congolese authorities of not having respected their commitments on the reintegration of its fighters. The Congolese authorities remain convinced that it benefits from support from Rwanda, which the Rwandan government continues to deny, accusing the Congolese leaders of supporting the Hutu-FDLR genocidaires. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has often described the FDLR as “a residual force reduced to banditry that no longer constitutes any danger to Rwanda”.