Burundian Militants Captured in Rwanda

This week in Ruheru, district of Nyaruguru, a group of 19 military operatives captured on Rwandan territory from the Rwandan Defense Force (RDF). The activists who said that they were part of RED Tabara, an armed faction that operated against the Burundi regime, were detained in the south of the province last month. According to Major Alex Nkuranga, who gave a first detailed account of the incident on 29 September, they had travelled about 600 metres to the Rwandan region. 

A team of five members of the Enlarged Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) Military Experts were present in Nyaruguru in order to examine the situation in which the combatants invaded Rwanda. Members of Burundi, DRC, Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya and Rwanda confirmed that they will send a report to the EJVM commander and to the Military leaders during a videoconference. They would also report to EJVM Commander. 

The ICGLR demands that countries collaborate “on all levels in the disarmament and destruction of the current armoured guerrilla groups,” as part of the International Conference for the Great Lakes (ICGLR, former ICGLR, for its Spanish initials) to foster stability, security, and development in Great Lakes countries. 

Nevertheless, it is not apparent how countries in such a situation could behave against supporters of rebel groups that have crossed into the territories of the other country unlawfully. Some analysts say that the Burundian opposition group is now regarded as prisoners of war, which would contribute to the enforcement of international humanitarian law. However, Alphonse Muleefu, a highly qualified professor of law at Rwanda University, said that international humanitarian law does not regulate prisoners of war in non-international armed conflicts. 

Burundi held its order for the relocation of the militants to Rwanda. In a statement tweeted by Burundi’s President’s Senior Advisor Willy Nyamitwe, his administration stated that the party had targeted a borough in Burundi prior to his withdrawal after the assassination. However, recently, Egide Nkurunziza, commander of the captured group, told the South Province press not to go to Burundi. Teddy Mazina, a political observer and journalist from the Burundian Republic, told The New Times that it is best to let the international community negotiate with the fighters. 

Although a routine military leaders’ conference is planned, reports suggest that there is little possibility that the incident usually happens, instead of concentrating the dialogue on aspects of international security. Extradition is the remaining alternative. Yet countries under international law do not allow citizens to be extradited to their countries if they fear that degrading and inhumane punishment is to be followed up or that a fair hearing is not to take place.

Inputs from New Times