Burundi shuts border with Rwanda amid spat

The Rwandan government on Thursday said Burundi had decided to shut its border with the East African nation, weeks after the Burundian president accused it of hosting a rebel group.
Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye in late December accused Rwanda of hosting and training the Red Tabara rebel group, which claimed responsibility for an attack near Burundi’s western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Rwanda has rejected his allegations.
Rwanda learned about Burundi’s decision through media reports, a government spokesperson told Reuters, adding it violated the principles of a regional bloc both are part of.
“This unfortunate decision will restrict the free movement of people and goods between the two countries, and violates the principles of regional cooperation and integration of the East African Community,” said Yolande Makolo, a spokesperson for the Rwandan government.
Relations between some nations within the bloc have been frosty for years amid domestic disputes, which also include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.