Security tensions on the Burundi-Rwanda border : growing concern among local populations

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, January 8, 2026 – Since December 7, the massive deployment of Burundian troops and heavy military equipment to the Kibira border and near the Ruhwa River has sparked serious concern among residents of border areas, who are exposed to armed violence and restrictions on their movements.

The Burundi National Defence Force (FDNB) has reinforced its troop presence along the border with Rwanda following the dramatic advances of the M23 in the Rusizi Plain, in South Kivu province, which borders Burundi. In this region, Burundian soldiers were deployed alongside the FARDC, the Congolese loyalist army, the Wazalendo militias, supported by Kinshasa, and, in some situations, allied with the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group, some of whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

This deployment is part of a broader strategy by the CNDD-FDD, the former Hutu rebellion that became the ruling party in Burundi in 2005, following the Arusha Agreement of August 2000, aimed at securing the border and maintaining a significant military presence in sensitive areas.

Testimonies from local populations

In the towns along the border, residents live in fear. On Bumba Hill, in the commune of Bukinanyana, a resident confides: “We fear a military escalation that would force civilians to abandon their belongings without knowing where to take refuge.”

In Rukana, another resident indicates that the military authorities have imposed a strict curfew: “Anyone leaving Rugombo for the Ruhwa border area must be back before 6:00 p.m. We make a living from trading at the modern market in Rugombo, but we are forbidden from moving around after that time. Yet, that is where we support our families.”

Other residents fear that poorly supplied soldiers will turn on civilians to obtain food. They report the presence of armed groups speaking Kinyarwanda, active in the forests of Bukinanyana and Mabayi, who have already looted food and livestock. The population is calling on the authorities to avoid any provocation against Rwanda and is demanding the lifting of restrictive measures that hinder their freedom of movement and worsen their living conditions.

Mutual accusations between Gitega and Kigali

Last December, the Burundian Minister of External Relations, Édouard Bizimana, denounced the deployment by the Rwandan army of at least 8,000 soldiers on Congolese soil, in violation of commitments made. He also accused Kigali of having bombed Burundian and Congolese positions in South Kivu, threatening that “Burundi would not remain passive.” According to him, Rwanda has also reinforced its military presence along the borders with Burundi, in the north and west of the country.

Meanwhile, Rwandan President Paul Kagame retaliated by accusing the Burundian army of deploying more than 20,000 soldiers in Congo, using drones and artillery to “kill civilians, especially in Minembwe,” and describing the situation as “chaotic.”

During a Christmas and New Year’s exchange ceremony in the political capital, Gitega, Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye stated that his country was actively pursuing preparations for any eventuality of war with Rwanda, involving all citizens.

Tense regional context

This situation arises in a particularly sensitive regional context. Since 2015, Burundi and Rwanda have been keeping a close eye on each other, each suspecting the other of supporting armed groups within its territory. Burundi’s land borders with Rwanda have remained closed since January 2024. President Évariste Ndayishimiye and the Secretary General of the CNDD-FDD, Révérien Ndikuriyo, confirmed that the border would remain closed as long as Kigali harbors coup plotters involved in the 2015 coup attempt.

Meanwhile, the war in eastern DRC continues, involving the M23, the FARDC, the Wazalendo, and the FDLR. The M23, composed mainly of Congolese Tutsis, is part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Congolese Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), who advocates for a federal state in the DRC. This coalition controls several strategic territories in North and South Kivu, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, as well as crucial mining sites, including Rubaya (Masisi, North Kivu), one of the world’s largest coltan deposits, used in the electronics industry and new technologies.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23, while Rwanda attributes support for the FDLR to the DRC and Burundi.

A recent report by UN experts, whom Kigali calls “imposters,” confirms the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23 rebels, despite repeated denials from Kigali. On the ground, clashes continue despite the Washington Agreement, signed on December 4, 2025, under US mediation between Rwanda and the DRC, in which Burundi participated as an observer. The agreement notably provides for the disarmament of the FDLR, which President Félix Tshisekedi describes as “a residual force reduced to banditry,” no longer posing a threat to Rwanda.

Residents of the border areas thus live in suspense, anxious about the evolving regional situation, the presence of armed groups, and the imposed restrictions, while nearly 90,000 Congolese refugees have recently arrived in the small east African nation, already facing significant humanitarian pressures.