Speaking at a press conference in Makamba province on January 3, 2025, Ndikuriyo was asked by a journalist to address Rwanda’s concerns about the ongoing collaboration.

The journalist referred to a statement by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, who had expressed that Burundi should not be partnering with the terrorist group, given its aim to destabilize the country.

The collaboration between the Burundian military and FDLR has not only been mentioned by Rwanda but is also highlighted in a UN expert report, which states that they have been working together to fight against the M23 group in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

“How does Rwanda get involved in Congo’s issues? Congo and Burundi have a military cooperation agreement, so how does Rwanda get involved? Rwandan soldiers have been going into Congo for over 30 years to fight these groups they accuse of genocide. If they haven’t eliminated them, it’s just the chaos they’re creating,” Ndikuriyo commented.

The Secretary-General of CNDD-FDD continued, “These are just excuses. Crying without reason! The Burundians have a good relationship with the Congolese, and they are helping each other. Is it wrong to help another? Why should that be upsetting? Why are you suffering over this? What does what happens on the other side have to do with them, given that they have their own border?”

Ndikuriyo echoed the words of the spokesperson for the Government of the DRC, Patrick Muyaya, who emphasized that no FDLR fighters are present in eastern DRC, as they supposedly do not have known bases there. However, this perspective differs from that of other DRC officials.

Among them, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thérèse Wagner Kayikwamba, and the spokesperson for the DRC military, Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge Bomusa, have acknowledged that the group is indeed present in the region and has been destabilizing the security of the Congolese people for many years.

Border closure

Ndikuriyo told reporters that Rwanda had provided shelter to those who attempted to overthrow the government of Nkurunziza in 2015 and that it is not acceptable for a soldier who defects to be welcomed by another country.

He explained that Burundi had re-closed its border with Rwanda in January 2024, after briefly reopening it, due to attacks launched by those who tried to overthrow the Nkurunziza regime.

Ndikuriyo further stated that the leaders of the two countries are in constant communication, discussing what is right and wrong, and that once the issues that led to the border closure are resolved, the borders will be reopened.

The Rwandan government rejected Burundi’s allegations of assisting individuals destabilizing its security, explaining that it had disarmed those it sheltered when they entered Rwanda and handed them over to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Révérien Ndikuriyo, the Secretary-General of Burundi’s ruling CNDD-FDD party.