A regional war is looming unless Rwanda is stopped. Two months ago Burundi-24 sounded the alarm bells warning our readers of Rwanda’s impending “Rebellion” against Burundi. Now, in an article titled “Burundi’s dangerous neighbor”, the Washington Post confirms the results of our investigation. The Post has published a report from an American U.N aid worker who worked in Mahama refugee camp for 5 months and has confirmed our earlier reports of Rwanda preparing a rebellion in conjunction with M23 fighters under the eyes of the U.S and the U.N. This comes after similar reports from Al-Jazeera and France24
A quick note: U.S Ambassador Samantha Power and U.S Great Lakes envoy Tom Perriello have not condemned this brewing rebellion. This should concern the Barundi as well as regional leaders. Should Burundi prepare for the “W” word?
Here is the Article titled “Burundi’s Dangerous Neighbor” from the Washington Post:
The Nov. 14 editorial “Burundi nears the brink” correctly warned of the potential for mass atrocities in Burundi caused by that government’s actions and its language inciting further violence. Equally dangerous are the actions of neighboring Rwanda, whose government in recent months has secretly recruited an army of Burundian refugees presumably for the purpose of conducting an armed insurgency inside Burundi.
Since June, Rwandan officials have allegedly been carrying out the conscription of Burundians from Mahama refugee camp in southeast Rwanda. Until two weeks ago, I worked for five months as a U.N. official in that refugee camp and dealt firsthand with the intimidating power of the military recruitment effort. U.N. officials and the U.S. government are aware of the Rwandan government’s recruitment campaign.
The invasion of Burundi by a rebel army from Rwanda would transform Burundi’s current political violence into an ethnic bloodbath. This scenario must be avoided at all costs in a region where far more than 1 million Burundians and Rwandans have perished in multiple cycles of mass atrocities since the 1970s. The governments of Burundi and Rwanda are playing a dangerous game.
Jeff Drumtra, Fort Washington