The Weight of Words: Révérien Ndikuriyo and the Dangerous Rhetoric Targeting the Banyamulenge.

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (April 19, 2025) – In the heart of Central Africa, where borders blur and histories collide, words can heal or destroy. When such words come from high-ranking political figures, their power can ignite fires that threaten the stability of an entire region.

Révérien Ndikuriyo, Secretary-General of Burundi’s ruling party CNDD-FDD and former Senate President, has recently come under scrutiny for his inflammatory speeches targeting the Banyamulenge community, a Congolese Tutsi minority group often scapegoated in the region’s ethnic and political conflicts. Ndikuriyo's rhetoric has become especially pointed amid the ongoing instability in the eastern part of the

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the Banyamulenge community has been deeply involved in the M23 rebellion, and tensions with neighboring Rwanda have further exacerbated the region's volatility.

In a widely circulated speech delivered in late 2025 in Kabarore, northern Burundi, Ndikuriyo spoke of “enemies hiding within,” comparing political dissidents and those with foreign ties to “snakes” that needed to be crushed. Although he did not directly name the Banyamulenge, his references to "invaders from Rwanda and Congo who speak Kinyarwanda" were interpreted by many as a thinly veiled attack.

“There are those who want to sell our country. If we are not careful, the fire that burns Congo will cross over. We must remove the threat before it grows,” Ndikuriyo warned.

Why His Words Matter

The Banyamulenge, a community rooted in South Kivu for over a century, have been victims of systemic discrimination and violence, often branded as outsiders due to their Tutsi heritage and linguistic ties to Rwanda. In today’s polarized political landscape, such rhetoric fans the flames of historical grievances, making an already vulnerable population a target once again.

With the M23 rebellion continuing to fuel tensions in eastern DRC, Ndikuriyo's statements have taken on even greater significance. The conflict has placed the Banyamulenge community at the center of a complex geopolitical struggle involving multiple nations, with accusations flying between Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC over involvement and support for rebel factions. The situation has turned increasingly hostile, and

Ndikuriyo’s inflammatory remarks only contribute to the growing sense of danger surrounding the community.

Human rights groups and regional peace advocates have condemned Ndikuriyo’s statements as dangerous. The Great Lakes region, still reeling from the legacies of genocide, forced displacement, and rebel insurgencies, cannot afford the luxury of reckless speech.

Echoes of the Past

Observers are alarmed by the parallels between today’s hate speech and the propaganda that preceded the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. In both cases, the dehumanization of a minority population laid the groundwork for widespread violence.

“The situation is tense. When leaders speak like this, it legitimizes hatred. That’s how massacres begin, not with bullets, but with words,” said a Congolese peace activist based in Bukavu, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

A Cross-Border Impact

Ndikuriyo’s rhetoric doesn’t just threaten Burundi’s social fabric. It reverberates across the border into eastern DRC, where the M23 rebellion, composed in part of Banyamulenge fighters and others aligned with Tutsi interests, continues to battle the Congolese army. Kinshasa, already embroiled in accusations that Rwanda supports the rebels, views such statements from Burundian officials as both provocative and destabilizing.

Meanwhile, thousands of Banyamulenge civilians remain displaced in South Kivu, living in makeshift camps with little access to food, medicine, or protection. To them, speeches like Ndikuriyo’s are more than political theater; they are threats to their very existence.

The Call for Accountability

Civil society organizations across Burundi, Congo, and Rwanda are urging regional leaders to denounce hate speech and recommit to inclusive governance. The African Union and East African Community are being called upon to set clear red lines against incitement to violence, regardless of who utters it.

“This is not just about one man or one speech. It’s about the culture of impunity and silence that allows hate to grow unchecked,” said a regional analyst based in Nairobi.

A Moment of Reckoning

As the region faces mounting insecurity, economic hardship, and political uncertainty, the last thing it needs is another cycle of ethnic violence fueled by reckless words. For the Banyamulenge, stateless in spirit though citizens on paper, the world must listen before history repeats itself.