The Burundian media in exile in Rwanda silenced for two days by decision of the Rwandan authorities. Some journalists in exile in this country say they have been sacrificed at the altar of political realism, as the two neighboring countries began on the road to normalizing their relations, it was just over six months ago.
RPA Radio publique africaine, Télé Renaissance and radio Inzamba, accused by Gitega of “destabilizing” Burundi, broadcast their programs from Kigali in Rwanda where they found refuge at the height of the Burundian crisis after their destruction by the authorities. The Gitega, for almost six years.
Burundian media exiles in Rwanda knew they were on trial. Already in October 2020, shortly after the start of the normalization process between Gitega and Kigali. The Rwandan authorities had given them a month to pack up, but they had continued to ship without any problems.
Everything accelerated two days ago, when they were ordered to close immediately. It is a shock to the journalists from the three media who prepared the evening newspapers and who have to put everything in place, a shock also to their many Burundian listeners.
A political gesture from Rwanda
Why this accelerator? From the beginning, Kigali demanded in particular that the Rwandan rebels from Burundi cease, while Gitega demanded the extradition of ten Burundian refugees who he describes as putschists from 2015 and that radio stations broadcasting from Rwanda be silenced.
After several meetings with military intelligence officials in the two countries, Burundi has initiated concrete military action against the Rwandan rebels, some of whom are alleged to have been delivered to Rwanda, according to confirming sources. Kigali had to make a gesture in turn, hence the closure of the three radio stations, according to our sources.
On Thursday, the Burundian president’s communications chief welcomed Rwanda’s “important steps” in the right direction.
There is a dialogue process between the Burundian government and the Rwandan government, the Burundian government is obsessed with these three media that it has already attacked with rockets, machine guns, grenades, etc. in Burundi in 2015. So we could go into exile and we began to reconstitute via social network
Innocent Muhozi, director of Télé Renaissance
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