US-based research and education think tank, Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) has said that the testimony Wednesday by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accusing Rwanda of stoking fires in Burundi, provides further support to the widely held view within the international community that Rwanda has been recruiting Burundian refugees in Rwanda to participate in armed attacks against the Burundian government.

In a statement, ACILA said that it has been following closely the situation in the region and fears that if Rwanda’s ongoing destabilizing effort in Burundi is not checked, the current domestic conflict could escalate into a regional war, adding that any solution to the Burundian conflict should take Rwanda’s destabilizing activities into account.

The statement comes as the US publicly accused Rwanda of engaging in activities to destabilize the Burundian government.

US envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Thomas Perriello stated that "There are credible reports of recruitment of Burundian refugees out of camps in Rwanda to participate in armed attacks by Burundian armed opposition against the Burundian government."

Similarly, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs said: "We have seen a number of reports from our colleagues in the field that suggest the Rwandan government has been involved in destabilizing activities in Burundi."

In addition, a confidential United Nations report also detailed the Rwandan government’s destabilizing activities in Burundi. The Rwandan government has denied any involvement in activities aimed at destabilizing the Burundian government.

However, ACILA noted that such destabilizing activities are a violation of the regional and international laws that Rwanda is a signatory to and urged the Rwandan authorities to respect their international obligations, among them being Article 4 (2) and Article 5 (1) of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGL) Pact on Security and Stability; Article 124 (1) of the East – African Community Treaty; Article 4 (e & f) of the African Union Peace and Security Protocol, and Article 1 (1) and Article 2 (3 &4) of the United Nations Charter.

On the current situation in Burundi, ACILA said that while it had noticed a decrease in the violence in Burundi, it urged the Burundian government to start immediately “an inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue” under the UN Security Council resolution 2248 (2015) to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.

ACILA is a research, education, non-partisan, non-profit think tank incorporated under US law as a 501(c) (3) organization and also under Ghanaian law. ACILA, which aims to contribute to African scholarship through enhanced understanding of international law, focuses on monitoring African states' compliance with international, continental, and regional instruments, as well as human rights, rule of law, good governance, and international criminal justice.