Kobero : drivers on the Bujumbura-Kigali route denounce a climate of fear and harassment at the border

SOS Médias Burundi

Kobero, July 13, 2026—Drivers transporting passengers between Bujumbura and Kigali are denouncing a climate of fear, what they consider excessive checks, and practices they equate to corruption at the Kobero border post on the border between Burundi and Tanzania. They say these difficulties disrupt their work and discourage some drivers from using this route.

According to several drivers interviewed, the officers in charge of documentation regularly subject them to interrogations, particularly regarding the passengers’ identities, their origins, and their final destinations.

“We understand that the security services have to carry out checks. But the interrogations are often excessive and create a climate of constant mistrust,” testified a driver, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Accusations of illegal payments

Beyond the checks, several transport operators are denouncing what they call corrupt practices. They claim that when leaving Burundi for Rwanda, they are forced to pay up to 100,000 Burundian francs to avoid administrative delays, while no similar sum is demanded of them on the return journey.

“If we refuse to pay, we risk being detained for hours. We work in fear and we incur significant losses,” says another driver.

Travelers growing anxious

This situation is also having repercussions for travelers. Several passengers now say they travel to Rwanda with apprehension, believing that the repeated checks contribute to a climate of anxiety.

“Seeing the drivers subjected to this pressure and being questioned makes you feel like traveling to Rwanda is considered suspicious,” testifies a passenger.

Accusations of links to armed groups rejected

Drivers claim they are regularly suspected of transporting young people who might join armed groups such as the M23 or RED-Tabara. They firmly reject these accusations and believe they damage their professional reputation.

“We are transporters, not recruiters for armed groups. We transport clients like any other transport company,” says a driver.

According to several witnesses, this pressure has already led some drivers to permanently abandon the Bujumbura–Kigali route.

A strategic border in a context of regional tensions

Since the closure of the land borders between Burundi and Rwanda by Burundian authorities in January 2024, Burundian nationals who cannot travel by air continue to use available road routes, particularly to reach Tanzania, Uganda, or Kenya.

The diplomatic crisis between Gitega and Kigali is taking place within a regional context marked by tensions related to the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Burundian authorities regularly accuse Rwanda of maintaining or supporting armed groups aiming to destabilize Burundi, as well as supporting the M23, an armed movement composed mainly of Congolese Tutsis that has established a parallel administration in several areas of North and South Kivu.

On several occasions, Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye has accused his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, of wanting to “annex part of the Congo to his country’s territory” and has called him a “destabilizer of the region.” He also stated that “Burundi is ready to go to war with Rwanda,” declaring that his country would not be subjugated “like the Congolese.”

Rwanda rejects these accusations, calling them “baseless lies.”

Travel that remains essential

Despite the political tensions between the two countries, many Burundians continue to travel to Rwanda for family, medical, or business reasons. Some also go for economic activities or professional appointments.

In a context marked by poverty and a rising cost of living, many travelers prefer road transport, considered more affordable than air travel. The Bujumbura–Kigali route thus remains an important artery for human and commercial exchange in the region.

Transporters are calling on the relevant authorities to guarantee the free movement of people and goods, in accordance with their permits.

“We are simply asking to do our job within the law, without intimidation or corruption. We want to be able to transport our clients to Rwanda or Uganda under normal conditions,” pleads an official from a transport company.

At the time of publication, the relevant authorities had not yet responded to the drivers’ accusations.