Burundi's Pierre Nkurunziza to step down in 2020


Hello everyone! Today we'll be briefly discussing one of our suggested Open Agenda topics, the crisis in Burundi.

When Nkurunziza stood for a third term in 2015, deadly unrest erupted in a nation still haunted by the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, a neighboring country. Widely expected to take advantage of recent changes to the constitution to stand for two more terms, Burundi's long-serving President Pierre Nkurunziza announced in June of last year that he would not run for another term, easing fears of new violence in the impoverished country. This announcement had followed a referendum on term limits, which in theory allowed him to seek another two terms in office.

Nonetheless, Nkurunziza's announcement raised skepticism from the opposition. Some say that his message is untrustworthy. In addition, Nkurunziza is not without lawlessness: he muscled his way past constitutional limits in 2015 to claim a third term. This term has been characterized by growing authoritarianism, intimidation, and abuse, according to several human rights groups. Many political opponents have left the country for safety, while a sustained campaign against the press has forced most independent journalists also to leave. It remains to be seen how sincere Nkurunziza is with this announcement, as he is ultimately the individual who pushed for the revision of the constitution. Before this announcement, Nkurunziza indeed said he would be willing to run again if the people demanded it.

Today, Burundi is part of a common recurrence throughout many new democracies in the world: the state uses the trappings of democracy to camouflage an autocratic government. Will Burundi be able to stay on the path towards an established democracy?

Please take a look at this video from BBC News Africa. Although Nkurunziza announced his decision not to seek another term last June, this video describing secret torture and detention sites was released six months later in December. It also reviews an abridged version of recent Burundian history: keep in mind that the very constitution that Nkurunziza pushed to amend is the same one that Nelson Mandela helped put into place. Even if Nkuruniza truly does not run for another term in 2020, there is much to be done about human rights abuses in Burundi.

Comments

  1. United States of AmericaFebruary 24, 2019 at 5:45 PM

    The United States welcomes President Nkurunziza’s decision not to seek another term in office. We do recognize that even if Nkurunziza does not run for another term, the government must work to improve respect for human rights, media freedoms and overall governance. This is obviously a daunting task, that must be executed in a way that does not infringe upon nation sovereignty while working to improve stability in a heavily conflicted region. The US understands these challenges and sees two major pathways going forward. The first is the preferred path; one of multilateral support and regional cooperation. The US looks forward to working with other delegations to explore the implications of groups such as the East African Community (EAC), in order to encourage economic developments to support the people. However, the second path must consist of increased pressure on the Burundian government through targeted sanctions, supported by member states and the SC itself. The United States looks forward to discussing these major pathways in committee in greater detail and hopes we can work together to find suitable solutions for this growing problem.

    - The United States of America

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2019 at 9:52 AM

      The UK is certainly in agreement with both of these measures! The European Union has renewed sanctions until October 31, 2019 on Burundi (which are a travel ban and frozen assets against certain individuals) and welcome other countries to join us in the fight for freedom for Burundi's people. We'd also love to explore your first solution in-depth in committee, especially your ideas for how to work with countries like Rwanda, which seem to be more focused on destabilizing Burundi instead of helping them build a restorative democracy. Our concerns mostly lie in President Kagame's speeches against Burundi and, of course, Rwanda's direction of M23's attempt to overthrow the Congolese president, so we'd love to focus on that.

      The United Kingdom is happy to have such a strong ally in committee as the United States in committee and hope to see you in caucus!

      Delete
  2. UnknownFebruary 28, 2019 at 9:45 PM

    The Russian Federation strongly supports Burundi and has recently reached many bilateral agreements with it's government. Some of these include easing travel between the two nations, an increase in Russian scholarships for Burundian students, and supporting training the Burundi military and police forces. Russia looks forward to supporting development in Burundi in the future, and stands tall as it's ally during this time.

    ReplyDelete

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