The Burundian government announced on Thursday (11) the closure of the border with Rwanda, a country with which it has had a tense relationship for years due to allegations of support for armed groups operating in its territory.

The RED-Tabara group (Resistance for the Rule of Law in Burundi) launched an attack on December 22 near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing 20 people, including women and children.

On December 30, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, accusations that were denied by Kigali.

RED-Tabara, the main armed group fighting the regime led by Ndayishimiye, has a base in the province of South Kivu, in eastern DRCongo, and is currently the most active rebel group in Burundi, with an estimated force of between 500 and 800 fighters.

"We've closed our borders (with Rwanda) and anyone who tries to go there won't be able to get through. The decision has been taken," Burundi's Interior Minister Martin Niteretse told the press today.

"After we realized that we had a bad neighbor, Paul Kagame, a bad neighbor, the President of Rwanda, we suspended all relations with him until he changes his attitude," he said, maintaining that the Rwandan neighbor "harbors criminals who do harm" to Burundi's citizens.

A witness at the Kanyaru-Haut border post told the France-Presse news agency (AFP) that he had crossed the border into Rwanda at around 14:40 (12:40 in Lisbon) and that the crossing point had been closed immediately afterwards. (NOAM)