Burundi Signals Openness to Renewed Dialogue With Rwanda

Bujumbura, November 28, 2025 - Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, Edouard Bizimana, has indicated that talks with Rwanda remain possible despite what he described as a “less than satisfactory” pace. He made the remarks during a press conference held on Friday.

Minister Bizimana emphasized the natural ties between the two nations, insisting that the relationship should not remain strained indefinitely.

“Burundians and Rwandans are like brothers. We share borders and a common culture,” he said. “I do not think there is a problem so big that it should lead families to remain closed. There are issues, but all will be resolved through dialogue - and that dialogue is ongoing.”

Bizimana acknowledged that meetings between the two countries are infrequent, but maintained that communication channels remain open.“Even countries in conflict always keep the path of dialogue open,” he noted. “Not all doors are closed. We continue to talk because we share a past, a region, and a future. Both sides are obliged to make efforts.”

The minister added that Burundi has made steps to improve bilateral relations, though some issues remain unresolved.

Burundi closed its border with Rwanda in January 2024, accusing Kigali of supporting the RED Tabara armed group - an allegation Rwanda has repeatedly rejected as baseless. Rwanda has argued that the accusations serve as a way for Burundi to deflect attention from its internal security challenges.

Since the closure, several attempts at reviving diplomatic ties have taken place, but without concrete results.

The decision to impose the border closure followed President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s 2023 state-of-the-nation address, during which he hinted at the move while accusing Rwanda of backing RED Tabara. Despite this, subsequent statements from Burundian officials have often contradicted one another, with accusations made one day and denied the next.

Speaking to journalists on November 27, 2025, Rwandan President Paul Kagame was asked about the current state of relations, days after a group of Burundian refugees voluntarily returned home and Burundian military officers participated in a meeting of regional land-forces commanders in Kigali.

Kagame reiterated that Rwanda has never closed its border with Burundi.

“The borders are still the same as they were,” he said. “But for us, even before the closure, Rwanda had no hand in it. It was the Burundians who chose to close the borders. Wherever they wish to open them, we have never closed them.”