19 October 2007
Bujumbura — Uprona parliament members demonstrated before the offices of the interior ministry after the police disturbed their meeting at the main office of their party. As the chairman of the Uprona parliamentarian group within the national assembly, Hon Terence Sinunguruza, said, their meeting was disturbed by â-ša closer deployment of the police five minutes after the beginning." Hon Didace Kiganahe was dispatched in vain by the national assembly in order to find a solution to this situation.
This demonstration was disturbed by the national police who intervened and tore banners on which these Uprona members of the parliament had written messages asking the interior minister to put an end to the involvement of the police in political matters in accordance with article 244 of the Constitution of the Republic of Burundi which bans the interference of the defence and security forces in the activities of any political party.
This demonstration has also brought to a halt the activities of the national assembly of yesterday morning's session during which miscellaneous issues were to be analysed did not take place.
The interior minister, General Evariste Ndayishimiye, has failed to reconcile the opposing wings that appeared within Uprona after the current First Vice president of the Republic, Dr Martin Nduwimana, was dismissed from this party. Dr Nduwimana was accused of playing a major role in the cabinet reshuffling of 13 July which was displeasing to Uprona because it did not get ministerial folios that it was promised by the government in return to its assistance in dismissing former chairperson of the national assembly Immaculée Nahayo.
The result of the reshuffle was a cabinet that was labelled as unconstitutional by opposition parties and a subsequent deadlock in the national assembly. Talks between the President of the Republic of Burundi and opposition parties that were aimed at finding a way out to this institutional blockage have led to an agreement on basic principles with Frodebu, but not with Uprona.
In the national address of 27 September 2007, the head of state, Pierre Nkurunziza, promised to continue talks with Uprona, but three weeks afterwards there is still no progress.
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