Burundi-Rwanda rivalry: RED-Tabara rebel attacks add to regional tensions

The RED-Tabara armed group, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has renewed attacks in Burundi since late 2023. The group – which is an abbreviation of the French Résistance pour un État de Droit au Burundi (Resistance for Rule of Law in Burundi) – is one of a handful of rebel groups seeking to unseat the Burundi government.

RED-Tabara attacks, however, are targeting civilians rather than government installations, military bases or strategic infrastructure. This has thrown the group’s motivations into question.

RED-Tabara was created in 2015 in the aftermath of a political crisis and failed coup by some military officers against Burundi’s then president, Pierre Nkurunziza, who died in 2020.

The group claims to fight for a return to the rule of law, which it claims the current government has abandoned. However, its indiscriminate attacks against civilian populations are increasingly falling into the pattern of terror acts.

In February 2024, RED-Tabara fighters attacked Buringa village, which is in Burundi on the border with the DRC, killing nine people. Two months earlier, the fighters attacked Vugizo, also in Burundi near the DRC border, killing 20 people.