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Black Thursday

Rostrum The ancient narrow pathway had become so bad that they could not find their way to their destination as the three moved in a grey Honda Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) being piloted by Dayo who was very mindful of the steering. It was on a Thursday. The 35-year-old Misters Dayo, Emeka and Okon were old time friends who reunited just a few days ago at Nsukka in Enugu State having lost contacts about eight years back, or thereabouts, after their graduation from one of the reputable higher citadels of learning in Nigeria situated in the Eastern part of the country, precisely University of Nigeria Nsukka popularly known by its acronym ‘U.N.N’. What occasioned the long-awaited reunion was the convention of their alma-mater’s alumni body themed ‘The homecoming of UNN Alumni’, which usually held once in a blue moon. Though they never studied in the same department, they were conspicuously best of friends during their school days that people within bega...

Burundi's President Says Rwanda Plans to Attack his Country

The Burundi's President, Evariste Ndayishimiye has claimed that he had seen "credible intelligence" that Rwanda plans to attack his country.

Ndayishimiye also stated, while responding to questions on the BBC news, that Rwanda had tried to launch a coup a decade ago in Burundi, akin to what it's currently doing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda has already hit back via its President, Paul Kagame, calling the president's comments "surprising" and insisting that the two neighbours are co-operating on security plans for their shared border, which has been shut for over a year.

Despite extensive United Nations (UN) evidence, Rwanda has always denied arming and backing the M23 rebel group, which has recently seized large parts of eastern DR Congo alongside Rwandan troops.

Rwanda has also denied links to the resurgent Red Tabara rebel group, which President Ndayishimiye says is a proxy force similar to the M23 and is being supported by Rwanda to destabilise Burundi.

"They would say it's an internal problem when it's Rwanda that's the problem. We know that President Paul Kagame has a plan to attack Burundi," Ndayishimiye added.

"Burundians will not accept to be killed as Congolese are being killed. Burundian people are fighters.

"But now we don't have any plans to attack Rwanda. We want to resolve that problem by dialogue."

At the heart of Ndayishimiye's comments was a call for peace and the full implementation of an agreement between the two nations - a peace deal that had been signed in previous years - but according to Burundi, had not been honoured by Rwanda.

"The people who did the 2015 coup were organized by Rwanda, and then they ran away. Rwanda organised them - it went to recruit the youth in Mahama camp. It trained them, it gave them arms, it financed them. They are living in the hand of Rwanda," he alleges further.

"If Rwanda accepts to hand over the troops and bring them to justice, the problem would be finished."