Officials from the United States Foreign affairs ministry have said that they have sufficient evidence to the effect that the Government of Rwanda has been contributing immensely to the ongoing civil strife in the neighboring republic of Burundi.
In a statement, the officials have categorically stated that Rwanda has not only been training Burundian refugees who have fled to the country but it has also been arming them to fight the embattled president Pierre Nkurunziza’s Burundian Government thus fuelling the ongoing Conflict in the tiny Central Africa nation.
Burundi has been witnessing civil unrestsince it’s President Pierre Nkurunziza refused to step down after serving for two terms but went ahead to vie for a third term against the wish of the country’s opposition and the civil society groupings a factor that led to the current civil War being witnessed in the country.
US officials say the information they have from their officers present in the refugee camps in Rwanda indicate that Rwanda has very actively been involved in the violence in the neighboring Burundi.
In an interview by the US congress, one of the diplomats said there are credible reports that the Burundian refugees including children have been trained in camps in Rwanda, and armed to join the Burundi rebels in a bid to over-power the Burundian government troops.
Violence erupted in Burundi last year after the country's president Pierre Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term.
Governments of both countries have groups that are predators, and there is growing international concern that the crisis could advance to another ethnic war in the region.
However in a quick rejoinder, Rwanda’s Foreign affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo has strongly denied the allegations by the US diplomat.
In a statement to the media, the minister has instead implored the United Nations to seek long lasting strategies to solve the Burundi political crisis rather than engaging in what she has described as baseless blame games.
