Kigali — The Rwandan government has strongly rejected accusations that it facilitated grenade attacks that killed at least three people in the Burundian capital Bujumbura.
In a statement, released on Sunday, Kigali said it "absolutely" has no connection with, nor any reason to be involved in "such despicable matters".
"Burundi has a problem with Rwanda, but we have no problem with Burundi," the statement by the Rwandan government spokesperson's office said.
At least three people were killed and 14 others injured in a grenade attacks early on Friday evening in Bujumbura, local media said - although the official government statement did not name any fatalities.
The first explosion targeted a bus parking lot full of passengers waiting for a bus shortly after 7:20pm, Burundi's SOS Medias reported.
A second grenade went off half an hour later, not far from police officers' mess in the Ngagara zone north of the capital Bujumbura.
"The author of the explosion was injured by shrapnel. He was arrested on the spot," SOS Medias quoted an unnamed security source as saying.
"At the time of his arrest, his cell phone was ringing. Agents from the intelligence service immediately took him to the secret service cell."
The spokesperson for the security ministry, Pierre Nkurikiye, blamed the attacks on Red-Tabara insurgents, a group he said was responsible for a series of attacks in the central African country - including an alleged grenade blast north of the capital on April 25.
Nkurikiye said Friday's triple attack injured 38 people, five seriously.
Six suspects, aged 28 to 56, were presented to the media, accused of participating in the attacks since April 25.
Burundian authorities allege the suspects are part of a Rwanda-backed network.
"These terrorists are recruited and trained, even equipped with weapons in Rwanda, by Rwanda," said Nkurikiye.
But Rwanda's retort came sharply.
"There is something clearly wrong going on with Burundi for its government to accuse Rwanda for recent grenade explosions in Bujumbura, a situation we have absolutely no connection with, and have no reason to be involved in," Kigali said.
"We call on Burundi to solve its own internal problems and not associate Rwanda with such despicable matters."
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The suspects paraded to the media in Bujumbura Rwanda and its ethnically tied southern neighbours Burundi have had a fractured relationship since a failed coup in Bujumbura in 2015 when Pierre Nkurunziza was still the president.
Nkurunziza died suddenly on June 8, 2020, from suspected Covid-19 disease and was replaced by General Évariste Ndayishimiye.
In his early days, Ndayishimiye and Kagame forged a cordial relationship, reopening the borders that had been closed during Nkurunziza's last years in power.
However, Ndayishimiye took Burundi to DR Congo, the vast central African country with whom both Burundi and Rwanda share the western borders - after accusing Kagame of working to distabilise Burundi.
Last December, Ndayishimiye accused Rwanda of hosting and training the Red Tabara rebel group, which claimed responsibility for an attack near Burundi's western border with DR Congo.
Ndayishimiye, who went on to deploy Burundian troops against Rwandan forces in DR Congo, then closed the border with Rwanda and ordered all Rwandans deported.
