RED-Tabara

Resistance for Rule of Law in Burundi (French: Résistance pour un État de Droit au Burundi, Abbreviation: RED-Tabara) is a Burundian rebel militia that was formed in 2015 in the wake of the political crisis in the country.^[1][2] The group opposes the political control of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy and former president Pierre Nkurunziza and is allied with a number of other opposition groups, including the Popular Forces of Burundi.

Since February 12, 2016, Melchiade Biremba has been the leader of the group.^[3] In an interview to Jeune Afrique, Biremba explained the goals of the organization:

[T]he motives which pushed us to take up arms are the same as those which pushed Nkurunziza himself to enter into rebellion in 1994: absence of democracy and justice, no rule of law.

— Melchiade Biremba, Burundi – Melchiade Biremba : « On ne peut pas défendre la démocratie avec des belles paroles », ^[4]

While many members of the group were former members of Alexis Sinduhije's Movement for Solidarity and Democracy, both Sinduhije and Biremba deny any connection between RED-Tabara and the party. ^[3][5][6]

Activities

According to reports from the UN Group of Experts, RED-Tabara was the recipient of logistical support from Rwanda, after recruits for the group were captured in South Kivu.^[7] The combatants claimed that they had been recruited from refugee camps in Rwanda and received training by people in Rwandan military uniforms.^[7]

During the 2015 Burundian unrest, the group engaged in attacks against the NCDD-FDD, and its youth wing, the Imbonerakure.

In November 2016, according to observers, RED-Tabara was the largest movement in terms of combattants, but the least operational.^[8]

However, by the end of 2016, support for the group appeared to decline. In August 2017, reports from the UN Group of Experts and Radio France Internationale that several RED-Tabara fighters had left the group and joined the Popular Forces of Burundi.,^[9][7] On August 27, 2017, leader Melchiade Biremba was captured in the Congolese village of Rurambo and detained in Kinshasa.^[10]

Despite these issues, the National Defence Force (Burundi) and the Imbonerakure conducted several incursions into the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021 and 2022 aimed at attacking the group.,^[11][12]

On December 23, 2023, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the village of Vugizo which killed 20 people and wounded nine others.^[13]

In January 2024, Burundi closed all its land borders with Rwanda, for an indefinite period after Rwanda was accused of supporting the RED-Tabara.^[14]

References

1. "Nouveau mouvement armé au Burundi | Afrique | DW.COM | 18.01.2016". DW.COM. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
2. "Burundi: un groupe d'opposition appelle à la "résistance armée"". RTBF Info. 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
3. "Burundi - Melchiade Biremba : " On ne peut pas défendre la démocratie avec des belles paroles " - JeuneAfrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
4. "Burundi – Melchiade Biremba : « On ne peut pas défendre la démocratie avec des belles paroles »". jeuneafrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-27.
5. Nkurunziza, Jean-Baptiste; Anyadike, Obi (7 June 2016). "Briefing – who's who in Burundi's armed opposition". Refworld. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
6. "Alexis Sinduhije dément être à la tête d'une rébellion – DW – 13/01/2016". dw.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
7. Anderson, Jordan (2017-10-03). "Burundi's newest, biggest rebel group". African Arguments. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
8. "Burundi : la FIDH dénonce une " dynamique génocidaire "". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2016-11-15. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2016-11-20. Les Red Tabara sont les plus nombreux, ils bénéficient d'un soutien populaire, mais ils ont très peu de capacités opérationnelles.
9. "Burundi: les rebelles du Forebu changent de nom et d'organigramme". RFI (in French). 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
10. Mandat, Le (2017-08-23). "Le Chef d'Etat-major de RED-Tabara capturé sans résistance en RDC -" (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-04.
11. "Rebel group Red Tabara confirms clashes with Burundian army". Channel Africa. SABC. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
12. "Rights group concerned about Burundi's 'secret' mission in DRC". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
13. "Gunmen kill at least 20 people in western Burundi". Reuters. 23 December 2023.
14. "Afrique Le Burundi ferme ses frontières terrestres avec le Rwanda voisin pour une durée indéterminée" [Burundi closed all its land borders with Rwanda, for an indefinite period]. Radio France Internationale (in French). 3 April 2023.