Burundi and Rwanda keep the momentum, President Kagame recieved Burundian delegation
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol VI, Issue #199 | Tuesday, January 11th, 2022
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Dear RegionWeek
President Kagame received in his office this Monday the Minister of East African Community, Youth, Culture, and Sports in Burundi, Amb. Ezéchiel Nibigira, they have special talks on improving relations between the two countries.
The Rwandan head of State received at the Village Ururwiro Minister Amb. Ezekiel Nibigira and his delegation ( Gnrl Silas Pacifique Nsaguye et Mrs Laurentine Kanyana)
The Rwandan presidency via Twitter wrote that the group had conveyed to President Kagame a message from President Évariste Ndayishimiye.
"The talks focused on strengthening relations between the two countries," it said.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dr. Biruta Vincent, and the Director-General of Military Intelligence in the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF), Brig-Gen Vincent Nyakarundi.
Why it matters
This visit marks another step in strengthening the vision to restore a closer relationship between Rwanda and Burundi. Relations between Rwanda and Burundi have been strained since 2015. Since then, all parties have been working hard to resolve issues, but the situation remained increasingly fragile.
Since President Ndayishimiye came to power in 2020, there have been positive changes in the resumption of relations between Rwanda and Burundi; It is hoped that in the near future the two countries will restore their full cooperation.
At the end of August 2020, the Rwandan and Burundian Armed Forces, intelligence agencies met at the Nemba border and agreed to exchange information on anything that would jeopardize the sovereignty and security of both countries.
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Eleven fighters from the National Liberation Front (FLN), a group founded by convicted Paul Rusesabagina were captured and handed over to Rwanda at the Rwanda-Burundi border, Nemba.
On another hand, Rwanda handed over 19 rebels of the Red Tabara rebel movement to Burundi after they were caught on Rwandan soil.
In October 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, Dr. Vincent Biruta, held talks with his Burundian counterpart, Albert Shingiro, expressing his willingness to restore relations.
Last year, the governors of Rwanda and Burundi held a series of talks aimed at reviving relations between the two countries. As of October 2021, the leaders met at the Nemba border in Bugesera District, agreeing to cooperate in the fight against crime.
The Bottom Line
Burundi has been accusing Rwanda of harboring the senior military officers who attempted to oust the government in 2015.
Commentators and analysts believe that the remaining issue that stands between the effective normalization of the relation between Burundi and Rwanda is the extradition of suspects who tried to topple Burundi’s leadership who dwell currently in Rwanda.
Even though it is not clear yet how this will play out, signs on both sides prove that there is a strong momentum gained in 2021, hopefully, 2022 will introduce a new era between Burundi and Rwanda.
Thanks for reading
Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com
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