Burundi: Why is Burundi insisting on the direct transfer of rebels suspected members of Red Tabara arrested by the Rwandan army? (analysis)
Our analysis begins with by the documents. The press release from the Burundian Ministry of the Interior, Community Development and Public Security says that a group of armed bandits from Rwanda (Citegererezo hill, Kuwimbogo sector) attacked on September 25, 2020, two households in the commune Kabarore in Kayanza province. This group killed only Bucumi Gregoire and retreated to the same hill they had come from, taking with them 07 stolen goats from these households. This would mean that this group of bandits has its positions in the Rwandan part and not in Burundi. Where did Pierre Nkurikiye and his boss Ndirakobuca alias Ndakugarika find this information? Did their informants see these rebels leaving this position and heading to the scene of attack without notifying the Burundian security forces? Or did Nkuririkiye and his leader know in advance that armed Burundian bandits were occupying this position in the Rwandan part? If so, had they informed Rwanda so that it could drive them out or apprehend them? We remain unanswered. But everything suggests that asserting that these bandits came from Rwanda and that they fell back to the same country is a gratuitous accusation (unless they provide us with tangible proof) which only has the aim of tarnish the image of the neighbour with whom the power of Gitega maintains conflicting relations.
According to Pierre Nkurikiye’s statement, the attack took place on September 25, 2020; security forces directly pursued the bandits who retreated to Citegererezo hill in Rwanda. However, the Rwandan military intelligence service document states that its forces apprehended 19 Burundians who claimed to be Red Tabara who were crossing the border from Burundi on September 29, 2020. On this point, there are grey areas. How did the Burundian side see that the bandits retreated directly to a Rwandan hill on September 25, 2020 when the Rwandan security forces apprehended them on September 29, 2020 when they were crossing the border from Burundi? It would simply mean that one of the two parties (Rwanda-Burundi) is not telling us the truth. For which interest? The Burundian side can lie to us in order to discredit Rwanda as we mentioned above by saying that the bandits fell back directly on Rwanda from where they had come. It is also a way of making the public believe that the Burundians forces are still on alert and that they have directly pursued the enemy and have seen his failback position. Why did they not make use of the legal right of pursuit? Since Pierre Nkurikiye’s statement recognizes the good collaboration in exchanging information with the Rwandan side on this case, why during the pursuit on September 25, 2020, if these forces really had the wisdom not to prosecute these bandits in Rwanda, they did not alert the Rwandan side directly? We wonder, but we have no answer. But, one possibility would be that these so-called bandits hid in the vast forest of Kibira, take the 4 days to eat the 07 stolen goats and continue their journey. They can go to Rwanda because they planned it, or just lose their compass and find themselves in Rwanda not knowing they have crossed the border (which is not visible).
The Rwandan side has no interest in lying to us about the date for the simple reason that if they have adopted the principle of surrendering them, they just need a little time for summary questioning.
Another big question arises: Are these armed fighters really members of Red Tabara? How and why would they have gone to Rwanda? Here we exclude the assumption (which is Gitega’s government claim) that they occupied a position in Rwanda without the knowledge of its army. And if they were on Rwandan soil and the army was in contact with them, it would have closed its eyes, it would not have apprehended them.
Claiming to be members of Red Tabara doesn’t have to mean that they really are. Two hypotheses: they may be members of the imbonerakure militia sent by Nkurikiye, Ndirakobuca and Ndayishimiye to test whether Rwanda welcomes them and have evidence to accuse him of supporting the rebels attacking Burundi. If the hypothesis is true, Rwanda will have escaped this trap. On the Burundian side, they insistently demand that his armed bandits be handed over to him directly without going through other mechanisms to answer for their acts in court. This insistence risks pushing us to validate our hypothesis. The power of Gitega would like to directly recover his spies.
If this hypothesis is confirmed (if they are imbonerakure who would have claimed to be members of Red Tabara), Red Tabara would have directly issued a denial to say that these fighters are not his. Since he did not, we can assume that they are actually members of Red Tabara. Going to Rwanda after an attack in Burundi would have what significance since the kibira forest is so vast that you do not miss where to hide? We cannot ignore that getting lost in this forest is possible; but he would not be condemned who would say that Red Tabara could have carried out a mission of the power of Gitega: to attack households in Burundi and to go to Rwanda to test their reaction. Let people not be mistaken; letting a single Burundian citizen die in order to successfully mount it does not cause any concern to Gitega’s power. President Ndayishimiye and his clique still feel guilty for housing and supporting the interahamwe who committed genocide against Rwandan Tutsis in 1994. They are looking by all means for evidence to accuse Rwanda, as if to establish a balance of faults.
For what interest would Red Tabara play Gitega’s power game? Purely political interests. Since this group claimed responsibility for the attacks, public opinion has not seen strong action by the Burundi National Defence Force to hunt down this group. Instead, the government took the opportunity to settle scores with its political opponents and the Tutsis. A certain opinion says that Alexis Sinduhije is in talks with the power of Gitega so that he can return triumphantly after negotiations of a possible ceasefire. This is why the claims of the Red Tabara attacks made it clear that this is the only movement that is on the battlefield. Is it true or false? We haven’t done sufficient investigations to confirm this, but public opinion has been talking about it for some time. Those concerned will have time to deny it if it is wrong or time will show us if it is true.
URNHITAMWONEZA appreciates Rwanda’s decision to hand over these fighters to the ICGLR Joint Military Border Verification Mechanism. We demand that careful investigations be made so that we know the exact identity of these combatants and the reasons which pushed them to cross the border between Burundi and Rwanda. It is in the interest of all of us to know if they are members of the imbonerakure militia who claimed to be from Red Tabara, sent on a special mission or members of Red Tabara who got lost in the great forest or who are manipulated by the military clique in power in Burundi to discredit the power of Kigali. WhatsApp contact: +31685638237
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