SUMMARY
RED-TABARA (also known as Resistance for the Rule of Law in Burundi; Résistance pour un Etat de Droit au Burundi; Umuhari Uharanira Iteka n'Itekane; FRONABU Tabara) was an armed opposition group that sought to overthrow the Government of Burundi. The group was formed on 24 April 2011 in reaction to the Burundian elections of 2010 but first became active in December 2014, during clashes with the government. Its rebellion against the government was thought to have continued in 2016 but the extent of this could not be captured by UCDP due to difficulty distinguishing which violent events RED-TABARA was involved in. RED-TABARA was reportedly the military wing of the Movement for Solidarity and Democracy (MSD); a political party that was part of the Council for the Restoration of the Arusha Agreement and the Rule of Law (CNARED) political coalition. However, both RED-TABARA and MSD denied the allegation. In January 2019 MSD withdrew from CNARED.
RED-TABARA aspired to establish a just, democratic political system based on free and fair democratic elections and the constitution as laid out by the Arusha agreement of 2000. As such, RED-TABARA claimed to share the same objectives as the Burundian political coalition, CNARED, but differ in its choice of approach; despite suspected unofficial links, it remained publicly separate. To achieve its goal, RED-TABARA aimed to militarily overthrow the political regime led by President Pierre Nkurunziza and replace it with a transitional government to facilitate credible, free and fair elections.
RED-TABARA was based in the South Kivu province of DR Congo, bordering Burundi, where it moved between locations in the high plateau and the Ruzizi Plain of Uvira during 2015 and 2016. RED-TABARA stated that it only attacked security targets. Despite its bases being located in DR Congo, RED-TABARA’s membership remained almost exclusively Burundian and multi-ethnic; it rejected an ethnic dimension within its military agenda. Its size and strength swelled after political turmoil regarding a third term in office for President Nkurunziza occurred in 2015. Accordingly, RED-TABARA was estimated to have approximately 200 combatants in its bases in December 2014 but by 2017, it reportedly had 2000 troops. Fighters that joined RED-TABARA after 2015 included many military and police deserters as well as young protesters against Nkurunziza.
Melchiade Biremba was the Chief of Staff and official leader of RED-TABARA. He was an ethnic Hutu coming from the eastern Burundi province of Cankuzo, who had formerly studied law and been an MSD member. Despite not having any military training, Biremba adopted the title “Major General”. “Lieutenant Colonel” Joseph Kaziri was also a notable RED-TABARA commander; he was killed during clashes against government forces between late 2014 and early 2015 when RED-TABARA carried out one of its largest operations in Cibitoke plateau. The prevailing allegation that RED-TABARA was the military wing of MSD consequently positioned Alexis Sinduhije, the founder and leader of MSD, as the ultimate political leader of RED-TABARA. Sinduhije was an ethnic Tutsi and former prize-winning journalist, who had been famous for facilitating radio broadcasts of Hutus and Tutsis individually confessing and expressing penitence for their actions following the ethnic-based violence during the nineties (see Burundi: Government for more information). Sinduhije did not condemn the actions of RED-TABARA leader Biremba and recognized that Biremba was trying to militarily create the same political conditions sought by MSD through CNARED. Nonetheless, Sinduhije denied any involvement with RED-TABARA, a statement corroborated by Biremba.
There were suspected links between RED-TABARA and fellow-Burundian rebel group FPB; the more militarily-advanced FPB allegedly wanted to lead the forces of RED-TABARA, which outnumbered their own. However, RED-TABARA refused to relinquish its independence and stated that it was united with all groups sharing their goal to remove the Nkurunziza-led regime but respected that each group pursued this goal through its own military strategy.
