Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edouard Bizimana, has once again defended the FDLR and used divisive rhetoric against Rwanda, particularly when discussing Kigali, where his diplomatic tone appears to give way to confrontation.
In an interview with journalist Main Switch 27, published on August 17, 2026, Bizimana said Burundi enjoys good relations with other countries except Rwanda.
According to Bizimana, the strained relations stem from Rwanda’s refusal to hand over people who attempted to overthrow the government of Pierre Nkurunziza in May 2015.
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“The only slight problem is with Rwanda. You know that it is the country hosting those who attempted to overthrow the government in Burundi in 2015. However, we have continued to engage in dialogue with them. At times, we found that they did not implement what they had agreed to, because they had agreed to return those people to Burundi so that they could face justice, but they did not do so. They continued to deceive us and even used them on opposing sides in Congo to attack us and create instability in the country. But God has helped us in all of this, and we remain vigilant; they will not find a way through.”
Rwanda has repeatedly explained that it cannot hand over the individuals because it received them as refugees and that refugee matters are governed by international law.
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Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, recently said Rwanda had never agreed to extradite to Burundi people accused of attempting to overthrow Nkurunziza’s government.
He said discussions on the issue had taken place three years earlier, in 2023, but did not conclude successfully because some conditions requested from the Burundian side were not fulfilled.
Bizimana said the dialogue was still ongoing. “As for the dialogue, we are talking. There are institutions communicating with one another to see whether things can return to normal, because we know, and they also know, that without security in our countries and with trade relations not functioning properly, we will not achieve development.”
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Bizimana and Ethnic Rhetoric
One of the most prominent parts of the interview was Bizimana’s comparison of the paths Burundi and Rwanda have taken following their troubled histories.
He said Burundi had chosen to promote coexistence among Hutu, Tutsi and Twa communities, but, when discussing Rwanda, claimed that one section of the population had been excluded. “They chose a different path, continuing to say, ‘You have no place here,’ while ignoring the fact that God gave the country to all its people. We saw this from the beginning. Hutu, Tutsi, Twa and others have nowhere else to go; we have one country, which God gave us. We are all obliged to live in it, share its resources, help one another and build it together.”
He added: “Others also chose that path. I believe it is not the right path because we saw what happened in Burundi’s history. You saw how it ended, and I believe they will eventually realize that the path they have chosen offers no solution.”
Bizimana did not specify which section of Rwandans he claimed had been excluded. However, the remarks reinforce an attempt to frame Rwanda through an ethnic lens that the country moved away from more than three decades ago.
Pacifique Nininahazwe, head of the FOCODE organisation and a close observer of Burundian politics, has long criticised Bizimana’s rhetoric.
Nininahazwe said: “One of the mistakes the Ndayishimiye government will regret is appointing Edouard Bizimana as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is a minister who uses almost bush-like language.”
Nininahazwe portrays Bizimana as a leader whose harsh and provocative rhetoric could create diplomatic problems for Burundi rather than help resolve them.
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Defending the FDLR
Bizimana’s history on X shows that the FDLR and Rwanda are among the issues on which he has frequently expressed strong views. Before joining the government, he had written that the FDLR was no longer a problem for Rwanda, but was instead being used as a pretext.
Asked about allegations that Burundi cooperates with the FDLR, Bizimana rejected the view that the group poses a serious threat to Rwanda and spoke about it in terms that downplay its history and activities.
“The FDLR has never attacked Rwanda. For more than 30 years, they have been talking about it, but that group has never launched an attack on Rwanda. Since 1996, there have been attacks, and they have worked with the Congolese government to fight them […] We cannot support the FDLR because we know it has no benefit.”
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Bizimana therefore portrays the FDLR, which has operated in eastern DRC for more than three decades, as an issue whose significance depends on who raises it. In his view, when Rwanda raises the issue, it is merely a “pretext.”
However, dismantling the FDLR is one of the key provisions of the Washington Peace Agreement signed between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the international community has repeatedly called for the armed group to be effectively dismantled.
This is not the first time Bizimana has expressed this position. In early July 2025, after President Kagame said Rwanda expected the DRC to dismantle the FDLR, Bizimana posted on X: “The FDLR card no longer works.” Bizimana has also previously said that the FDLR “is no longer a problem for Rwanda” and that Kigali uses it as a pretext, a position he had expressed even before becoming a minister.
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Interview Enters Burundians’ Fields
During the interview, Bizimana went beyond security and politics and also discussed the livelihoods of Rwandans, claiming that severe hunger in Rwanda was driving some people to Burundi to steal crops.
He provided no figures or other evidence to substantiate the claim. “I believe they see the problems they have. We have heard that Rwandans frequently come to Burundi to steal, with some sneaking into people’s fields because of the hunger they are experiencing.”
Unless diplomacy has become an arena for domestic-style quarrels, it is unusual for a foreign minister to make such unsupported claims, which do little to advance his country’s interests.
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A regional affairs analyst who spoke to IGIHE described Bizimana as one of the worst diplomats Burundi has had, citing the harsh language he frequently uses when discussing Rwanda.
The analyst said: “Minister Bizimana lacks diplomatic decorum. Whenever it comes to Rwanda, he uses unrestrained language and shows support for anyone who opposes it. You have seen how he portrays the FDLR as not being a problem and how he attacked Qatar, which has been facilitating talks between the DRC government and AFC/M23 in Doha.”
On January 3, 2026, Minister Bizimana took to social media to accuse Qatar of using its financial resources in matters concerning the Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent Rwanda from being sanctioned.
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He said: “It is important to highlight Qatar’s negative role, using its influence and financial resources to prevent the United States from taking action.”
The remarks triggered significant controversy and pressure on Burundi, prompting President Evariste Ndayishimiye to apologise on social media. Minister Bizimana subsequently stayed off social media for some time.
Between Kigali and Bujumbura, where both sides say the door to dialogue remains open, words can either serve as a bridge or become a fire that destroys what both sides have achieved.
Bizimana appears determined to build the bridge while, at the same time, setting fire to some of the progress made between the two sides.
