Fourteen of the more than 30 Rwandan nationals arrested last week in Burundi have been set free, it has emerged.

Last week, sources indicated that over 30 Rwandans on board Bujumbura-bound buses were arrested and taken to unknown destinations.

Amb Amandin Rugira, Rwanda’s envoy to Bujumbura, told The New Times, yesterday, that some people were released a day after their arrest, while others were released on Saturday.

"The latest information we have is that several people remain in jail,” Amb Rugira said.

The Rwandans are reportedly being held by Burundian intelligence services in the capital, Bujumbura.

More than 89,000 Burundian refugees – including over 23,000 urban refugees – are now in Rwanda, with thousands others in Tanzania and the DR Congo.

By Monday, 1,242 refugees in Kigali had sought appointments for registration as urban refugees who prefer to cater for themselves other than go to refugee camps.

Meanwhile, East African Community leaders have been holding emergency meetings on Burundi in a bid to ease tension in the country.

President Pierre Nkurunziza started his controversial third term in office late last month.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw