Politically motivated violence in Burundi continues

On Monday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) sent an appeal to the member states of the East African Community (EAC), asking them not make Burundi lead the intergovernmental organization as of late November, as it is currently planned. “The EAC will have a strong say concerning the future deployment of peacekeeping forces of the African Union or the United Nations. It would be fatal if East Africa were to be represented by Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza in this controversial case, because his government is largely responsible for the escalation of violence in Burundi itself,” is what Ulrich Delius, Africa-consultant of the STP in Göttingen, wrote in a letter to the heads of state in the EAC (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi) on Monday.

It was only on November 12 that the UN Security Council had adopted a unanimous resolution, demanding an immediate end to the violence. Last weekend, however, seven people died in new clashes and politically motivated attacks in Burundi. One man got killed in an attack on a café in the capital Bujumbura on Saturday night, and seven people were injured. In the same district, Bwiza, four people got killed on Sunday night, three of them in a nightclub. Two civilians got killed in Kanyosha and Kinanira, two neighborhoods situated in the south of Bujumbura. Three policemen suffered gunshot wounds.

On November 30, 2015, the East African Community – which was founded in 2000 – will decide on the future chairmanship. So far, according to the annual rotation principle, Burundi will be the next in line. “If Burundi were to take over presidency, this would not only be counterproductive for peace in the region – it would also be against the basic principles of the organization,” said Delius. Article 6 of the EAC’s founding treaty states that every member state must follow the principles of good governance, transparency, the protection of human rights and democracy. Burundi’s opposition accuses President Nkurunziza of malpractice and of lack of respect for the constitution and the principle of democracy. It is largely the government security forces that are responsible for the violence and the attacks on human rights activists, journalists and government critics.

There are even critical voices against Nkurunziza from within the EAC. There are fears that the EAC could lose financial support from its donor countries if Burundi were to take over presidency. Several countries have suspended their developing cooperation with state authorities of Burundi due to massive human rights violations and poor governance.

Header Photo: Tony Heriza via Flickr