Rwanda assures Burundians not to worry after border closure

KIGALI, RWANDA | Xinhua | Rwandan authorities have assured Burundians living in the country that it will not adopt retaliatory measures after Burundi closed its border with Rwanda.

“Burundians in Rwanda, continue to go about your daily activities. Do not worry in any way. Nothing will happen to you following the decision of the Burundian authorities to close the borders with Rwanda,” Alain Mukularinda, deputy spokesperson for the Rwandan government, told reporters in the capital of Kigali on Friday.

“Those who want to return to their country are free to leave, and even those who want to visit Rwanda are welcome because the Rwandan border is open. Rwandans have no issues with their Burundian counterparts,” he said.

Mukularinda, on the other hand, advised Rwandans against going to Burundi. “Rwandans who are here must understand this: if a country says it does not want us, there’s no question of going there,” he said.

Burundi on Thursday announced that it had severed relations and closed its border with neighboring Rwanda following accusations that Kigali supports Burundian rebels based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Rwanda said it regretted Burundi’s unilateral decision, noting that it violates the principles of the East African Community. ■

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