(3 minutes read)
- Rwanda opens borders with countries in the Great Lake Region to facilitate movement of people and transport of goods, though Burundi is kept out of the purview in view of the existing tension
After two years of being shut, Rwanda’s borders opened recently to ordinary citizens from Uganda, Tanzania and DRC. According to the Rwandan authorities, the decision to re-open the border was based on progress achieved in the fight against coronavirus. Residents can now move freely between countries and also transport goods.
Also Read:
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https://trendsnafrica.com/the-twice-postponed-chogm-to-be-held-in-rwanda-in-june/
However, Burundi is keeping its border closed, having kept away from the deal. Burundi fears that keeping the borders open may lead to infiltration of unwanted elements from across the border and would precipitate internal disturbances like what had happened in 2015, which ultimately led to a failed coup.
Burundi insists that the alleged suspects responsible for the coup in 2015 and are currently living in exile in Rwanda, should be handed over as a precondition for establishing before normal relations.
Though ministers of Justice of both countries met recently in the Rwandan capital Kigali to thrash out the differences, no progress has been made in this direction. There is a long history for the tensions between the two countries in the Great Lake Region rooted in the genocide of 1993. The continuing distrust between the two neighbours has been a matter of concern. Burundi alleges that the coup in 2015 was masterminded by Kigali and the perpetrators of the coup are hiding in Rwanda. It may be noted that Rwanda has superiority in military and economic areas, though the outside world often consider both regimes -Rwandan and Burundian as authoritarian.
