As regional attention shifts toward the recent peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one player finds itself awkwardly off-script, the Burundian regime.
Having invited itself into Congo’s dirty war under the guise of regional solidarity, Burundi is now stuck between its anti-Tutsi ideology and a diplomatic shift it neither foresaw nor prepared for. It has caught itself off guard and without a clear purpose in the region.
Its role, which was never officially defined as peacekeeping or stabilization, is being quietly questioned as the situation evolves.Burundi’s involvement in the DRC conflict was not motivated by regional peace efforts. Instead, it was driven by internal politics and long-standing ethnic divisions.
It should be noted that the ruler of Burundi General Evariste Ndayishimiye alias Neva alias Kirogorogo has maintained a hardline anti-Tutsi stance domestically and extended that ideology across the border by siding with Congolese forces and militias that target Tutsi communities.
Among groups that Neva’s regime worked with include FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the Wazalendo coalition, which has led violent campaigns against Tutsi populations in eastern Congo.
Now that things have changed, with Kinshasa under pressure to implement the terms of the peace deal and begin neutralizing the FDLR, despite their deep ties with its national army, Burundi is suddenly without cover. It can no longer justify its military presence in Congo as part of a wider regional agenda.
It should be reminded that Burundi’s participation in the DRC conflict was never about peace-keeping mission or anything in that matter, it was largely opportunistic, aligned with President Tshisekedi’s anti-Rwanda sentiment and likely motivated by financial or political incentives.
The uncomfortable reality for Burundi is that it was never a neutral actor. It threw its weight behind an ethnic agenda, reinforced a genocidal network, and helped destabilize eastern Congo, while pretending to be part of a wider security mission. Now that regional priorities are shifting toward peace and stabilization, Burundi’s role needs to be re-examined. Its actions have contributed to serious human rights abuses, and its forces operate without any formal international mandate.
Regional actors and international observers must now demand transparency, investigate Burundi’s actions, and push for the withdrawal of its troops. The future of peace in eastern Congo depends not only on what Rwanda and the DRC do next, but also on whether silent saboteurs like Burundi are finally called to account.
ellenkampire