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Kigali rubbishes report of refugees recruitment in Rwanda by Burundi rebels

Saturday December 19 2015
RwandaBurundicamp

A Burundian refugee camp at Mahama, Rwanda. The Burundi government is now accusing Rwanda of recruiting, training and arming groups that have been carrying out attacks in Bujumbura from refugee camps in Rwanda. PHOTO | FILE

The Burundi government is now accusing Rwanda of recruiting, training and arming groups that have been carrying out attacks in Bujumbura from refugee camps in Rwanda. 

At a press conference in the president’s office in the capital Bujumbura, Burundi Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe said that a man was recently arrested in the capital smuggling in weapons from Rwanda and he admitted that it was not the first time he had done it.

“There have been reports that some Burundian refugees have been recruited and went for military training to attack the country. We call on these illegal activities to stop,” said Mr Nyamitwe, who added that all those who were arrested were Burundians and investigations are underway to identify who they are and the purpose of the attack.

Burundi accused neighbouring Rwanda of sheltering coup plotters and declining the request of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to conduct investigations on the ground to ascertain allegations of youth being recruited into rebel groups fighting the Burundi government.

READ: Rwanda-Burundi relations face further strain

“We needed the truth to be brought to the table as to whether the allegations are false or true,” said Mr Nyamitwe.

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A recent report by the US-based Refugees International says that refugees from Burundi claim they are being recruited into non-state armed groups as part of a systematic campaign involving both Burundian and Rwandan nationals.

The report described the activities as amounting to grave violations of international law that could destabilise the region. According to the report, recruiters — both Burundian and Rwandan nationals — at Mahama camp targeted adults with prior military experience or possessing special skills.

Recruits were told they would fight on behalf of the Burundian opposition groups, while those who refused to enlist were intimidated by recruiters, the advocacy group said, citing accounts by Burundian refugees who had got away from the recruiters.

The report by the US-based group further alleges that the recruitment meetings were held in the presence of Rwandan police officers, and that recruits would later be transported in Rwandan military vehicles to the training site located inside Nyungwe Forest in southwest Rwanda, prior to crossing into the DR Congo and onto Burundi.

However, Rwanda’s Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs Minister, Seraphine Mukantabana, rejected the report, saying it contains unfounded allegations intended to drive a hidden agenda.

“These are the same baseless accusations that different people keep on trading. There is no proof to it, like the names, pictures or other details of refugees they allege were recruited so that we can go and check if they ever lived in the camp and left as a result of recruitments. I don’t see anything factual except just hearsay, and idle word of mouth,” she said.

Most of the generals who were involved in the attempted coup in Burundi in May are reported to be in Kigali, while Rwanda for its part suspects that the Congo-based Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have been gaining a foothold in Burundi.

READ: No FDLR militia here, says Bujumbura as Kagame mum on protests

ALSO READ: Rwanda will ‘talk’ to Burundi over FDLR after current crisis

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