RWANDA – BURUNDI : THE BISHOPS OF RWANDA AND BURUNDI CALL FOR PEACE IN THE .

« The closure of borders hinders economic growth, social cohesion, and cultural exchange, » declared the Bishops of Rwanda and Burundi at the conclusion of the first Ordinary Plenary Assembly of the Association of Ordinary Conferences of Rwanda and Burundi (ACOREB), which took place from March 30 to April 1 at the Saint Joseph Center in Kibungo, Rwanda. AF

The government in Bujumbura has closed the land border with Rwanda, accusing the country of supporting Burundian rebels in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The government in Kigali denies these accusations.

Burundi also believes that the perpetrators of the failed 2015 coup are in Rwanda and intends to bring them to justice. However, Rwanda says that under international law, it is unable to extradite individuals seeking political asylum.

« We ask our leaders to act wisely and mercifully to restore normalcy and promote unity between our nations, » the bishops of the two countries said in the statement presented at a press conference.

The crisis between Rwanda and Burundi is linked to the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where large parts of the provinces of North and South Kivu have fallen under the control of the Rwandan-backed M23 guerrilla movement. Burundi, which had stationed its own military units in the Congolese province of South Kivu, withdrew them shortly before the M23 troops captured the provincial capital, Bukavu.

The government in Bujumbura now fears a possible incursion by the M23 and Rwandans into its territory and an expansion of the Congolese conflict to the entire Great Lakes region. For this reason, the bishops of Rwanda and Burundi also join the message of the Association of Central African Episcopal Conferences (ACEAC), which calls for negotiations to resolve the conflicts peacefully.

"From February 24 to 26, 2025, the Association of Central African Episcopal Conferences (ACEAC) held a meeting in Dar es Salaam to seek solutions for peace