The Secretary General of Burundi’s ruling party CNDD-FDD has said that Rwanda should not be concerned about the presence of Burundian soldiers in DR Congo. Reverien Ndikuriyo downplayed the accusations that Burundian soldiers in DR Congo collaborate with armed groups, including the FDLR, a group that threatens Rwanda’s security and is linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Kagame condemns ‘primitive politics’ driving DR Congo, Burundi, FDLR collabo “The groups accused of genocide....[Rwanda] has been fighting those groups for 30 years. If they did not finish these groups, that’s up to them,” said Ndikuriyo, who was speaking to journalists in Makamba province in southern Burundi on January 4. “They accuse Burundians of collaborating with these armed groups, and you mentioned genocide. These are just pretexts. They always cry foul,” Ndikuriyo said. Rwanda accused DR Congo of collaborating with the FDLR in the war against the M23 rebels in North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda’s Western Province. Burundian soldiers are part of the Congolese government coalition, which also includes local armed groups known as Wazalendo and European mercenaries. ALSO READ: Rwanda condemns ‘inflammatory’ comments by Burundi president The Rwandan government dismisses the integration of the FDLR into the Congolese armed forces, which is against the backdrop of threats by Congolese leaders to cause regime change in Rwanda. “Now that Burundi has good relations with Congo and they are helping each other, even militarily, Congo may ask us for help,” Ndikuriyo said. “Why would anyone be concerned about that, since their country has a border. Why would they be concerned about what’s happening across the border. “I wouldn’t be moved by the fact that anyone mentioned genocide. That’s not my concern. I am concerned about Burundi’s national security. Everyone should be concerned with their own [security].” ALSO READ: Burundi president’s Kinshasa ‘gaffe’ exposes his intentions for Rwanda Ndikuriyo insisted that Burundian soldiers were recognized internationally for their discipline. The FDLR was founded by remnants of the perpetrators of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, who fled to DR Congo. A report by a United Nations Group of Experts in May 2024 pointed to DR Congo’s use of the FDLR as a proxy in the conflict in North Kivu. The report said that the Congolese army “provided military equipment and financing to FDLR-FOCA, in exchange for its role in fighting M23, in violation of the arms embargo.”
