Rwanda expels more than a thousand Burundians
The Rwandan government has over the last few days expelled more than 1,500 Burundians who it accused of living illegally in the country.
Burundi is seeing this move as another sign of hostility by its neighbour which it has already accused of harbouring rebels trying to topple the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
The Director General in charge of Territorial Administration at the Burundi Ministry of Interior, Thérence Ntahiraja, announced on RTNB national television on Tuesday that 1,510 Burundians expelled from Rwanda, had already been received.
The last batch of about 60 arrived on Tuesday, 140 reached Kirundo province (which borders Rwanda) on Monday, 510 were received by Burundian authorities in the same province on Sunday and another 800 arrived last Friday, the Governor of the Kirundo province Melchior Nankwambona told the African News Agency (ANA). He also said the deportations were continuing.
The expelled people comprise the elderly and children who have been living in Rwanda for many years.
“The Rwandan authorities summoned us for a meeting on Friday and told us that we had to return to our country,” said a man who claimed he left Burundi ten years ago.
He added that Rwandan authorities told them their own country, Burundi, needed them for its development.
Burundi’s Interior Minister Pascal Barandagiye, who was dispatched by the government to receive the expelled people, criticised Rwanda for the action, saying it was “a proof that Burundi has a bad neighbour”.
Barandagiye suspected that there could be some people among the expelled persons who would have been sent by Rwanda to destabilise Burundi. He strongly advised them to avoid it.
However, the Rwandan authorities told journalists that the expulsions were part of the government’s regular controls and was “not particularly aimed at Burundians”. Other nationals had also been deported, they said.
“We had a number of Burundians scattered across the country without documents. These are not Burundians who had refugee status. The decision only concerns those who were living illegally in Rwanda,” said the Rwandan Minister in charge of refugees Séraphine Mukantabana.
For months, Burundi has accused Rwanda of recruiting Burundian refugees and sending them to military training camps so it could send them home to topple Nkurunziza’s regime.
Rwanda denies any involvement in attempts to destabilise Burundi.