exrwanda politician dies in burundi jail where he was being held on suspicion of spying africaretired rwanda politician dies while jailed in burundi as a spy 31 2016nairobi kenya a retired senior rwandan politician has died in a burundian jail where he was being held on suspicion of spying both countries said on thursday adding to crossborder tensions that have escalated dangerously in recent months the politician jacques bihozagara a former rwandan ambassador to france and belgium as well as a former government minister died on wednesday in a jail in burundis capital bujumbura where he had been held on espionage charges since decemberwe assume he had a hypertension and plan to carry out an autopsy today elie ntungwanayo a spokesman for burundis justice ministry said on thursdayrwanda called the death suspicious jacques bihozagara is one of many rwandans in burundi who died violently or suspiciously in the past months said a rwandan foreign ministry official eugene ngogain washington the state department said mr bihozagaras death highlighted concerns about reports of arbitrary arrests and torture in burundi and urged its government to allow monitors from the african union and other organizations to investigate allegations of human rights abusesburundi has been in political turmoil since last april when president pierre nkurunziza decided to seek a third term leading to street protests a failed coup and an exodus of refugees across the border to rwandaburundi where mr nkurunziza eventually won reelection accuses rwanda of supporting a rebel group recruiting members in the refugee camps with the aim of bringing down the burundian government an accusation dismissed by rwandain february a human rights watch report described widespread abuses by burundian security forces of suspected opponentsalong with a border rwanda and burundi share a legacy of violence and bloodshed between their two largest ethnic groups the tutsis and the hutus