Updated Status Of Burundi Rwanda Border 2026

Rwanda and Burundi are neighbors with an interesting relationship. To understand this relationship, you have to step out of both countries and look around their neighbors, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo. Countries usually conflict or fight because of divergent interests, and in the case of Rwanda and Burundi, the interests go beyond their immediate country politics into the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Goma region of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been one of the most contested areas on the African continent. Rebel groups with justifiable but still unclear reasons have fought in the region for more than two decades. Like any rebel group, it is always against the government in power until their conflict turns into a proxy war. In the case of the DRC conflict, Rwanda in alleged to be in support of the M23 rebel group while Burundi is said to be in support of the DRC government.

Although this is not the only thing that makes Burundi to be suspicious of Rwanda, but we can to a certain degree deduce that most of their disagreements are security related. Earlier on in 2015, during the reign of Nkurunziza Burundi closed its border with Rwanda on security related reasons. However in 2020, a New president came into power and a couple of years later reopened the Rwanda Burundi border for the first time after six years.

In 2024, Burundi closed the border again on grounds that Rwanda was responsible for the bombings that were going on in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura. However Rwanda came out with a press statement distancing itself from the allegations of the government of Burundi. The statement that was issued on the 14th of May 2024 reads;

“There is something clearly wrong going on with Burundi for its government to accuse Rwanda of recent grenade explosions in Bujumbura, a situation we have absolutely no connection with and have no reason to be involved in. Burundi has a problem with Rwanda but we have no problem with Burundi. We call on Burundi to solve its own internal problems and no associate Rwanda with such despicable matters“

Until today, the Burundi-Rwanda border is still closed courtesy of Burundi and there seems no clear hope on whether it will be opened in the near future. The current president of Burundi is set to extend his rule with a new term come 2027 after he was endorsed by his party to stand for presidency for the second conservative seven year term.

The Burundi-Tanzania border has remained open until now. Therefore to connect to Burundi via the land border, you will have to drive through Tanzania. Unlike Rwanda, Tanzania is not compliant with some of the East African community rules. Among these is the requirement of a separate visa to enter Tanzania. Both Rwanda and Burundi are using Tanzania as their main trade routes given their landlocked status.

 4x4uganda will share details in due course once the border of Burundi and Rwanda reopens. For now, the only possible access points are flying into Burundi or driving through Tanzania. It is possible to hire a car from 4x4uganda and drive through Tanzania to Burundi. The minimum hire tenure acceptable by 4x4uganda Ltd is three weeks (21 days). Any hire below that number of days is not acceptable.