President Paul Kagame has rejected claims by Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye that Rwanda agreed to return to Burundi people who attempted to overthrow former President Pierre Nkurunziza in May 2015.
In an interview with BBC Gahuzamiryango in July 2026, Ndayishimiye said that Burundi was still waiting for Rwanda to implement an agreement concerning the return of those people to Bujumbura.
He said, “Even now, when we meet, the question I ask is the same, I say, ‘I am still waiting for you to implement what we agreed on. So you are not implementing it? I think you have other intentions.’”
Kagame Says Rwanda Made No Such Agreement
Speaking to journalists on August 24, President Kagame said Rwanda had never agreed to allow Burundi to send back the people in question.
He said, “Let’s be clear, where did this happen and when did it happen?”
President Kagame pointed out that Ndayishimiye’s statement was unclear because he did not explain when Rwanda agreed to return the people or where such discussions took place.
He said, “I do not know how to answer that because we did not make any promises that we did not keep. We did not make any to the President of Burundi, nor to anyone else.”
ALSO READ: https://agaciropress.com/rwanda-drc-and-burundi-discuss-reparations-for-belgian-colonial-damage/
Kagame Says Ndayishimiye May Have Confused a Dream With Reality
President Kagame said Ndayishimiye’s claim was not based on an agreement between the two countries.
He said, “But there was a night when he had a dream, and he thought that it had happened.”
The Head of State said Ndayishimiye was the one who had not told the truth, while also referring to reports that Burundi was working with the FDLR and FLN with the intention of destabilizing Rwanda.
ALSO READ: https://agaciropress.com/kenya-two-farmers-arrested-over-suspected-poisoning-of-elephants/
Kagame Recalls Burundi’s Deployment to North Kivu
President Kagame explained that in 2023, when Burundi sent troops to North Kivu Province, Rwandan intelligence agencies learned about the deployment and contacted Ndayishimiye to ask him about the reports.
He said Ndayishimiye vehemently denied that Burundi had sent troops.
President Kagame said he told Ndayishimiye that he believed his explanation despite having received reliable information from intelligence agencies.
However, he said that within a few days, evidence emerged when Burundian soldiers began being captured by AFC/M23.
