4 September 2007
editorial
Nairobi — THE GOVERNMENT OF BURUNDI MUST embrace reconciliation if it is avert a new round of war, says a report by the International Crisis Group, and we could not agree more. The military route preferred by Bujumbura, which relies heavily on the arrest and detention of rebels and their sympathisers, will only lead to more hostilities in a region that has been fervently hoping for an end to the fighting in Congo and northern Uganda.
President Pierre Nkurunziza needs to be told in no uncertain terms that it is the cardinal responsibility of his government to ensure that the terms of the 2006 ceasefire are implemented, no matter how annoying he finds some of the activities of the Palipehutu-FLN. That is how he can show true leadership.
Joining the East African Community with hostilities between his government and the rebel group still simmering will only end up diminishing the stature of the regional grouping. So, Nkurunziza must steal the thunder from the rebel group by addressing their main concerns before they revert to arms.
He must clarify the status of political prisoners as well as prisoners of war, spell out the terms of immunity, and incorporate a section of the Palipehetu-FNL leadership into the government and civil service.
The sudden withdrawal from Bujumbura by the rebel delegation negotiating the implementation of the ceasefire agreement of September 7, 2006, should have been enough warning that the government's intransigence was dangerous.
It is time the EAC countries stopped being oblivious to this crisis. They must take the initiative to get the protagonists to respect the terms of the ceasefire. The government should honour its commitments and the rebels should end all forms of military action, recruitment, forced monetary contributions, and other abuses against the civilian population.
Anything else would be a recipe for disaster.
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