Category: Burundi

Violence stalks Burundi capital Bujumbura

2/1/2016

Pres. Nkurunziza

New Year’s Eve was marked in the Burundi capital with numerous gunshots and bomb blasts. Civil unrest is increasing in the African nation as President Pierre Nkurunziza holds on to power.

The African Union has urged Nkurunziza to allow African peacekeepers into the country to maintain order. Currently the government in Burundi has rebuffed the offer of 5000 troops to re-establish and maintain order. The UN has warned that the country is on the “cusp of civil war”,that steps must be taken quickly to prevent a descent into ethnic violence.

Burundi emerged from civil war and ethnic violence in 2006. A parliament was elected and a constitution written. Nkurunziza was elected by the parliament in the early days of the peace. The constitution of the country stipulates that a president may only serve two consecutive terms. When the time came for the president to step aside, he declared that the first term didn’t really count and stood for a third term.

In spite of robust protests, Nkurunziza was re-elected by a landslide. Many of the opposition candidates had already fled the country.

It is estimated that over 200 000 people have fled to neighbouring countries to avoid the unrest and actions by the military.

Human rights defenders and journalists have been targets of violence and intimidation. Since Nkurunziza’s announcement that he would remain in office, at least 400 confirmed deaths have occurred. Raids in the night have taken men away. They are often found shot dead in the streets with the morning light.

A group that calls itself the Republican Forces of Burundi has vowed to oust the president and reinstall the accords that ended the 13 year long civil war.

It is unlikely that Nkurunziza will go quietly. He is reputed to be a born-again Christian who believes that he is ruling by divine fiat.

Our archived Burundi reports:
Burundi president precipitates crisis
Burundi slides into chaos
Burundi slides closer to civil war

Sources:
Bujumbura News
All Africa
Al Jazeera

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Burundi slides closer to civil war

7/11/2015

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Pres. Nkurunziza

Burundi is moving ever closer to civil war. President Pierre Nkurunziza has issued an ultimatum to the people protesting his presidency. He has demanded that the people hand over their weapons “or face the full wrath of the law”.

On November 2 he issued another ultimatum that everyone who has weapons must give them up by November 7. It is unlikely that there will be compliance.

Since gaining independence in 1962 Burundi has seen little peace. A halt to a vicious civil war in 2005 saw an election and a government formed. Nkurunziza was elected president by the elected officials and has been in power ever since.

The constitution written at the end of the civil war stipulated that the president could serve only two consecutive terms. At the end of Nkurunziza’s second term, he refused to step aside, claiming that he wasn’t elected by the people during his first term and he would stand for election again.

In August Nkurunziza won by a landslide. It may have been so one sided because many who opposed his third term had fled for their lives.

A group of former government workers has organized an opposition to Nkurunziza.

The capital city, Bujumbura, has seen much gunfire and grenade explosions are a common occurrence. Every morning people wake to the sight of bodies of the murdered left in the dirt. While police and army claim they have no connections to the extrajudicial killings many of the deceased were in opposition to the current president. The son of a prominent civil rights worker was apprehended and died while in custody. Others have told of harsh torture at the hands of the authorities.

A failed coup attempt in July has split the ranks of the army. Some have fled to neighbouring countries. Currently at least 100 thousand people have left their homes to find uncertain safety in neighbouring countries. As the violence continues to escalate, a further 100 to 250 thousand people are expected to flee.

The cost to provide for the refugees is estimated at $39 million.

Sources:
Afrika Reporter
All Africa

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Burundi slides into chaos

3/7/2015

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Police in Bujumbura, Burundi dispersing protesters.

Burundi’s democratic scaffolding seems to be collapsing. Since President Nkurunziza announced that he will stand for re-election on July 15 civil order has been unravelling.

Street protests have escalated. Deaths have mounted. At least 80 are confirmed dead at the hands of the police.

The veneer of civility started to thin when Nkurunziza stated that he would seek a third five year term. The Burundi constitution limits the president to two, five year terms. Nkurunziza maintains that the first of his terms doesn’t count because he was elected by the parliament and not by the people.

He has moved to assure himself of a win in July. Independent news outlets have been systematically shut down since May. Only the voice of the government in power is heard.

The end of June saw parliamentary elections held. Many in the opposing parties have stated that that process was “fixed” to allow Nkurunziza’s backers to hold power. Results were announced suspiciously early after polls were closed.

The UN observers have concluded that the parliamentary elections are not valid.

The mission concluded “that the environment was not conducive for free, credible and inclusive elections”. The Guardian

The African Union has stated that it will not attend the presidential election.

Many of Burundi’s citizens claim that violence and intimidation are rampant in the lead up to the presidential elections. A vice-president and the speaker of the house have both fled the country, seeking asylum in Belgium. Tanzania is overwhelmed with refugees. At last count, 100 000 people have fled.

The situation is tragic for the people of Burundi. The elections that placed Nkurunziza in power in 2006 were the hope for a nation that saw a 13 year long civil war end. That civil war erupted shortly after the first elections since independence. When Belgium divested itself of the former colony, a monarchy held sway until 1993.

The civil war was particularly vicious, splitting the population along ethnic lines. At final count, there were at least 300 000 dead.

Related:
Burundi president precipitates crisis

Sources:
All Africa
Bujumbura News
Burundi24
The Guardian

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Burundi president precipitates crisis

2/5/2015

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Pres. Nkrunziza on right

Burundi president Nkrunziza has precipitated a constitutional crisis in his bid for a third term in office. The Burundi constitution stipulates that only two five year terms are allowed. Pres. Nkrunziza maintains that the first five years don’t count because he was appointed by parliament.

Many in the capital city of Bujumbura disagree with him and have been demonstrating their displeasure. Nkrunziza has responded by sending troops into the streets. Seven people have been killed.

The screws have been tightening. Independent radio stations have been shut down, social media are blocked, and the Bujumbura university has been closed. Students have been turfed from their residences. Today approximately 500 students were found camping in front of the US Embassy. They maintained that it is the only place where they feel safe.

Violence and mayhem have broken out in Burundi before. The most recent civil war was along tribal lines – Hutus and Tutsis – and over 300 000 were killed. Mr. Nkurunziza is a Hutu. He was charged with murder during the fighting, but charges were dropped when a peace deal was reached. He has been accused of allowing extrajudicial killings while in office.

Nkurunziza is a born- again Christian whose beliefs lead him to believe he has divine sanction to rule.

Mr Nkurunziza indeed believes he is president by divine will, and he therefore organises his life and government around these values," says presidential spokesman Willy Nyamitwe. BBC News

There are some very strange laws in the country. It is illegal for men to jog in a group. If caught and prosecuted, they may be jailed for life. It is a way for those in power to prevent militias from forming.

There are 40 opposition parties who have put forward candidates for the May 26 election. Some are already voicing fears that violence will find them.

Canada Travel Advisory has two large, red exclamation marks on its Burundi page, warning that all non-essential travel is to be avoided. In addition, it points out the areas that border on the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) are unsafe

Sources:
BBC News
World Atlas

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Violence stalks Burundi capital Bujumbura

Burundi slides closer to civil war

Burundi slides into chaos

Burundi president precipitates crisis

Barbara McPherson

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