The President of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, has said he would travel to Kigali if there were a valid reason requiring him to visit Rwanda.
Ndayishimiye, who currently chairs the African Union, made the remarks during a recent interview with the YouTube channel Yaga Burundi.
His comments come at a time when relations between Burundi and Rwanda have remained strained for more than two years, affecting cooperation and cross-border movement between the two neighboring countries. The tensions intensified after Burundi closed its land borders with Rwanda.
President Ndayishimiye has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the armed group RED-Tabara in an alleged attempt to destabilize Burundi. However, Rwanda has consistently denied the allegations and rejected claims that it collaborates with the group.
When asked whether he could one day be seen in Kigali, Ndayishimiye said he would not hesitate to travel there if circumstances required it, especially considering that Rwanda is a member state of the African Union he currently leads.
“If something happens that requires the representative of Africa to go there, I would have no problem going,” he said.
He also stressed that the diplomatic tensions between Burundi and Rwanda should not be interpreted as a conflict involving the entire African continent.
“Don’t we meet in regional, African and international meetings? When it comes to supporting a candidate, don’t we sometimes support the same person?” he said.
Ndayishimiye further emphasized that there should be no hostility between the people of the two countries, noting that Burundians and Rwandans share close ties despite political disagreements between their governments.
However, the Burundian leader reiterated that his country does not plan to reopen its land borders with Rwanda anytime soon, again accusing Kigali of allowing individuals who intend to destabilize Burundi to operate.
