24 September 2007
Bujumbura — The ministerial cabinet met in an ordinary session on this 20 September in order to amend the project law legislating the technical commission in charge of disarming civilians. The project law initially passed on 29 April 2006 contains various shortcomings that have hampered its efficacy. The commission has been given a three year timeframe to achieve its goal.
The first disarmament campaign began during the rule of President Domitien Ndayizeye before the 2005 elections. At that time, Ndayizeye's campaign was opposed by the current ruling party, CNDD-FDD. The former armed movement CNDD-FDD once had thousands of â-šmilitant combatants" who were not disarmed and who were later alleged to have used violence and intimidation during the electoral campaigning of 2005. In April 2006, a law governing the set up of a technical commission in charge of disarmament was passed.
This commission planned a twofold strategy of voluntary disarmament with some compensation and forced disarmament. The efficacy of this commission, however, has been undermined by a lack of means. Currently, the commission has failed to set up provincial agencies that would help to carry out the grassroots side of disarmament. The chairman of the disarmament commission, Mr Sylvestre Kibeceri, indicates that the sluggishness of his commission is due to a lack of means. The 2007 budget did not allot funds for this commission which was new at the time when the budget was drafted. Kibeceri indicates that he waited for the June parliamentary session in the hopes that the budget would be re-analysed and necessary adjustments would be made for the second semester. The June parliamentary session adjourned without revising the budget.
During the ethnic conflict that followed the murder of the first democratically elected President of Burundi, Melchior Ndadaye, civilians were given arms by the former Burundian Armed Forces in what was described as a â-šself-defence" campaign and a pro-government militia, â-šgardiens de la paix"(peace keepers) was born. The number of weapons given to civilians during this period is still unknown, although most of the â-šgardiens de la paix" were disarmed with the help of the UN Operations in Burundi shortly after the elections of 2005. Militant and civilian combatants were alike disarmed. The number of weapons still in the hand of civilians after the first round of disarmament is still unknown.
While the government still hesitates to begin a large scale disarmament process and is content with the mere analysis of legal texts, armed gangs of robbers who own weapons illegally continue to kill civilians on a daily basis. Most of these slayings were perpetrated by demobilised combatants who were supposed to have been disarmed. The police have arrested seven persons who had been disturbing security in Buterere commune. These persons are alleged to be the killers of Ntahimpera François, who was brutally shot dead by a gang of robbers on 19 September.
Halfway to the elections of 2010, civilians have not yet been fully disarmed, although this task was supposed to be completed before the 2005 elections in order to ensure the transparency and fairness of the polls.
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