Rwanda's Paul Kagame Accuses Burundi Leaders Of 'Massacres'; Warns Of Genocide

Rwandan President Paul Kagame pictured during a press conference with Ethiopia's Prime Minister at the National Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on April 16, 2015 ©Zacharias Abubeker (AFP)

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has accused Burundi's leaders of carrying out "massacres" on their people in his most critical speech yet of the crisis in the troubled neighbouring state. "People die every day, corpses litter the streets... How can the leaders allow their population to be massacred from morning to night?" Kagame said, speaking in Kinyarwanda on Friday, in a speech heard by AFP on Sunday.

Relations between Rwanda and Burundi are tense, with Bujumbura accusing Kigali of backing those who oppose President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial third term.

AFP report continues:

Kagame, speaking in Kigali during an awards ceremony, gave the speech before the end of a Burundi government deadline for civilians to surrender weapons, which has prompted international fears it will trigger further violence.

Burundi has been rocked by violence since April, raising fears it could slide back into conflict after its 1993-2006 civil war, when some 300,000 people died as rebels from the majority Hutu people clashed with an army dominated by the minority Tutsis.

The people of Rwanda and Burundi have close ties, and have taken turns sheltering in their neighbour when trouble has spiked, including during Rwanda's 1994 genocide, when at least 800,000 mainly Tutsi people were killed by extremist Hutu militias.

Kagame said the violence in Burundi reminded him "a little" of the horrors of 1994.

"They (Burundi) should learn from what happened here," Kagame said.

Kagame also sharply criticised his counterpart Nkurunziza, an evangelical pastor who believe he rules by "divine" will, but who he said is now rarely seen and "hides" while Burundi is in crisis.

"Burundi's leaders pride themselves on being men of God, some are even pastors," Kagame said.

"But what God do they believe?... Is there somewhere in the Bible where leaders are called on to massacre their people?"

The Rwandan capital Kigali has become a refuge for many opposition and civil society activists -- as well as dissidents from Nkurunziza's ruling party.

Burundi however goes a step further, claiming that rebel forces -- set up by mutinous soldiers after a failed coup in May -- are also there and enjoying Rwandan support.

But Kagame said Burundi was responsible for its problems.

"It is the Burundians themselves who are responsible for their situation," he said, warning of "bad leaders who harm their people."

Residents flee Burundi's Capital, Bujumbura

Meanwhile Reuters reports that Rwandan President Paul Kagame implored neighbouring Burundi to avoid the ethnic violence that ended in genocide in his country in 1994, in an emotional speech that was shared on social media on Sunday.

Regional and world powers have grown increasingly concerned that the security situation in Burundi could lead to civil war or mass atrocities, and that a weekend deadline for Burundians to give up weapons could spark widespread bloodshed.

At least 200 people have died and tens of thousands have left the country after months of violence and protests since President Pierre Nkurunziza declared he would seek a third term in office, which he then won in a contested vote in July.

"They should have learned the lesson of our history," Kagame told a gathering in the Rwandan capital Kigali on Friday, according to audio of the speech shared on social media.

Some 800,000 people, most of them Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were massacred before rebel forces led by Kagame ended the genocide in Rwanda. Burundi is about 85 percent Hutu and 14 percent Tutsi.

Kagame has mostly avoided talking about the unfolding political crisis in Burundi. Rwanda is currently in the process of adjusting its own presidential term limit rules, which would pave the way for Kagame to seek a third term in office.

President Pierre Nkurunziza promised a crackdown on gun violence

In the speech he was pointedly critical of Nkurunziza - a former Hutu rebel leader before he became Burundi's first democratically elected president after its civil war. Kagame said Nkurunziza was allowing his people to die.

"No one knows where he is, no one can talk to him. How does he lead his people? People are dying every day, dead bodies are being dragged on the streets every day," Kagame said.

Also on Saturday, Burundi's minister for security, Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, told a news conference the disarmament process had been launched, "with respect for human rights".

"The security forces are there and will stay until peace is restored. And whoever will try to oppose the return of peace will ... have troubles," he said.

He also said security forces were investigating an attack on a bar in Bujumbura on Saturday night that witnesses say left nine people dead and others wounded.

A worker at the bar who survived the attack and asked not to be identified said that the men were wearing police uniforms.

But Bujumbura mayor Freddy Mbonimpa denied that police were involved.

"It's a lie," said Mbonimpa, adding that robbery may have been the motive for the attack.