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Burundi: Besides the Palipehutu-FNL Issue, More Needs to Be Done to Ensure Lasting Peace and Security
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Burundi Réalités (Bujumbura)
20 August 2007
Posted to the web 20 August 2007
Bujumbura
The South African mediator between the Burundi government and the the Palipehutu-Fnl, Charles Nqakula met with the Palipehutu-Fnl representatives in Dar Ess Salaam on August 13th, 2007.
The aim of the meeting was to try to find away for the Palipehutu to rejoin the cease fire truce monitoring team, which was put on hold since July 21 when Palipuhutu members who were part of the cease fire monitoring team escaped their guards in Bujumbura and went back to the bush.
Recall that the movement's spokesman Pasteur Habimana had indicated that the movement have asked the South African mediators to organize a regional summit in which President Nkurunziza and the Palipehutu-Fnl leader Agathon Rwasa can sort out unresolved issues such as the release of FNL prisoners, and an accord on its role after its combatants are assimilated into Burundi armed forces.
In the recent meeting, while Mr. Charles Nqakula indicated that the movement has until December to rejoin the cease fire agreement signed last September, the spokesman of the movement Pasteur Habimana indicated that the movement was ready to rejoin the cease fire monitoring team as long the mediator is willing to organize a meeting with the Palipehutu leader Mr. Agathon Rwasa in order shed a light on number of the movement's concerns, for instance their security and the release of Palipehutu-Fnl political prisoners ect....
On June 17th, 2007 president Nkurunziza had traveled to Tanzania to meet the Palipehutu leader Rwasa Agathon in an effort to try revive the cease fire agreement which has often been disrupted due to wrangling. Their talk lead to a promising move which resulted in Palipehutu-Fnl agreeing to rejoin the cease fire monitoring team after president Nkurunziza promised to release all Palipehutu political prisoners, but Mr. Nkurunziza has failed to honor his promise.
This gesture by president Nkurunziza was interpreted by many as a result of the enthusiasm shown at May Donors Roundtable Conference when Burundi presented its Priority Plan Action (PAP) whose first priority was to implement the cease fire agreement with Palipehutu-Fnl. In that conference Burundi was promised $1.4 billion from its partners in support of the PAP. Burundians still await that international financial support, whose disbursement depends on improvement in the political and security situation in the country.
Mr. Charles Nqakula meets the movement in time when the trust he has previously earned from the movement is on backslide. The movement accuses him of lacking impartiality that would lead to a successful implementation of the last September cease fire agreement. On August 16th, 2007, the Palipehutu spokesman stated that the movement has submitted a list of accusations that explain the mediator's partiality to the United Nation. It was not clear whether the movement requested a different mediator.
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On July 27th, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had voiced deep concern at the withdrawal of a rebel group in Burundi from arrangements to monitor the ceasefire it signed with the Government last year, calling on both sides to refrain from any actions that might lead to a resumption of hostilities.
Besides, the Palipehutu-Fnl dilemma, Burundi is currently experiencing chaos in its history. The key governmental institutions such as the parliament and the senate do not function, armed robbery is reported on daily basis, ten of thousands of fire arms circulate among the civilian population, corruption has reached its highest peak, hunger is killing Burundi people in different parts of the country on daily basis and the population has no access to basic health care,..... and the list could go on and on....
Experts who follow the situation very closely have argued that ending rebellion might not guarantee security and lasting peace in Burundi. â-šAs long as there is hunger and arms are circulating within the civilian population, there won't be any peace or security. If I have no food, I won't hesitate to use my gun to take the food from people who have it." A women who did not wish to be named was quoted as saying.
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| Copyright © 2007 Burundi Réalités. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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