Dozens of Burundian troops have been detained for refusing to be deployed to eastern Congo in the fight against the M23 rebel group as it advances toward a major border city.
The dissenting soldiers were being held in at least four prisons across the tiny central African country, according to army officers, prison officials, and other witnesses. Tensions have been rising in Africa’s Great Lakes region as Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo trade accusations over support for violent rebel groups operating in the lawless areas of eastern Congo.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has accused Rwanda’s government of actively supporting M23, which controls territory near the Rwanda border. U.N. experts have cited “solid evidence” that members of Rwanda’s armed forces were conducting operations in support of the rebels in eastern Congo.
Rwanda denies supporting the M23. Burundi is accusing Rwanda of supporting another Congo-based rebel group opposed to Burundi’s government, known as RED-Tabara, which has claimed responsibility for multiple deadly attacks inside Burundi.Burundian authorities have not revealed how many troops have been deployed to eastern Congo or commented on the arrests of soldiers who refuse deployment across the border.
Brig. Gaspard Baratuza, the Burundian military spokesman, did not respond to requests for comment.According to two army officers and multiple prison guards who spoke to the AP, the arrests of dissenting soldiers started in December, with more than 200 detained. They include at least 103 in the Rumonge prison in the southwest, two prison guards there said.
Others were being held in remand centers in Ngozi in the north, Ruyigi in the east, and Bururi in the south.A Burundian army captain told the AP he had deserted the military after refusing to be sent to Congo.
Washington has urged the de-escalation of tensions in eastern Congo, where M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups active in the region, seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources as they carry out mass killings.
(AP)
