Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza has said they have so far captured thousands of weapons from the neighbouring Rwanda.

Nkurunziza was on Thursday addressing a press conference at his new Gitega palace in Burundi’s Political Capital.

He said over 2,000 arms from Rwanda have been captured since 2014 along with attackers who have confessed.

Towards mid-December, Burundian army moved troops and artillery weapons to its border with Rwanda the mostly in the province of Cibitoke.

These preparations would aim to carry out an attack in Rwanda even if part of the Burundian army opposes it, reported TV Renaissance.

It was a response to the deadly attack on the Burundi army in November near the Rwanda border that has since sent tensions soaring between the neighbours, with Bujumbura directly accusing Kigali of armed aggression.

The assault took place late at night on November 16 on Twinyoni Hill, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Bujumbura, in thick forest some five kilometres from the Rwandan border.

The attackers were equipped with bulletproof vests and night-vision goggles, according to survivors.

An initial government tally put the death toll at eight, however a top military official — his account backed up by relatives and local media — said 19 were killed and 20 injured.

At the start of December this year Nkurunziza in a speech launching ICGLR Parliamentary Conference in Bujumbura, said Rwanda was directly involved in attack inside Burundi on night of November 16-17, 2019.

“Attackers were supported, trained and given military equipment by Rwanda to destabilize the region,” Nkurunziza told the conference.

In recent days the Burundi government, accusing Kigali of “armed aggression”, has filed a complaint against its neighbour at the regional East African community (EAC) bloc.

The same complaint has been filed with the African Union, United Nations and International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL).

The spokesman for the Burundi presidency Jean-Claude Karerwa Ndenzako warned on Twitter that if such an attack reoccurred, Burundi “reserves the right to legitimate defence, and especially, the right of pursuit”.

“Rwanda has been warned, we will no longer tolerate the contempt of its leaders.”edge