A diplomatic spat erupted between Burundi and Rwanda after the former accused the latter of sponsoring rebels operating from the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
A rebel group called the RED-Tabara, based in South Kivu, DRC, last week claimed to have been behind attacks that killed ten civilians, nine soldiers, and a police officer in Gatumba village, close to Burundi’s border with the DRC.
In a radio broadcast, Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye blamed Rwanda for supporting the rebels.