This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
Trade between Rwanda and Burundi has slowly resumed after a four-year disruption caused by a political spat in Burundi that led to violence and disrupted the movement of goods and people between the two countries.
According to the Rwanda Institute of Statistics, exports from Rwanda to Burundi rose to $5.2 million in the first quarter of this year from $1.1 million over the same period in 2018. However, the revenue generated is largely due to re-exports, mainly fuel, as many Rwandan manufacturers, including those producing cement, beverages, and packed foods, have yet to resume exports due to fears of violence.
Imports from Burundi, mainly foodstuffs, have declined sharply to below the $1 million mark, representing only 0.8 per cent of Rwanda's total imports from the region.
Informal trade, especially foodstuffs, remains heavily restricted following a directive in 2017 by Burundian officials ordering Burundians to stop trading with 'the enemy.'
Residents of border towns in both countries have felt the impact of the restrictions the most, with little activity at the two main border posts at Akanyaru and Nemba, which once thrived before the 2015 violence.
Despite the restrictions, cross-border movement of people is largely unhampered on either side, with entries at the Akanyaru border rising to over 110,000 people in 2018, from over 100,000 in 2017, and at the Nemba border, entries rose to 54,000 from 48,000 people, according to statistics by the Rwandan Directorate-General of Immigration and Emigration.
However, tensions between the two countries remain high, with Burundian President Nkurunziza accusing Rwanda of harbouring 'bad intentions' in December last year. Rwanda maintains that its neighbour is looking for a scapegoat for its internal political wrangles.
Burundi has accused Rwanda of training rebels and masterminding a failed coup, a charge Rwanda has denied. Rwanda has also accused Burundi of sheltering the FDLR rebels who are accused of committing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
