After the victory of Donald Trump in the American elections of November 8, opinions diverge. Some see him as a “messiah” who will correct the “mistakes” of the Obama administration. Others do not have any illusions and think that nothing will change.
Evariste Ndayishimiye: “The victory of Donald Trump is a sign of hope for Burundians.”
“We have hope because they are new leaders. This is new blood, which means that we are going to start on a new basis, “says Evariste Ndayishimiye, the secretary-general of the Cndd-Fdd party, at a press conference held this Wednesday, 9 November 2016.
For him, it is an opportunity to present Burundi in all its reality. At the same time, he congratulated the president elect and Hillary Clinton who quickly conceded defeat. “This is a good example that Burundians should follow.”
Asked about relations between Burundi and the Obama administration, especially after some US authorities described Pierre Nkurunziza’s term as illegal, Evariste Ndayishimiye has a clear answer. “During the elections, everyone has their favorite part and comments to make but it is not an opportunity to reject the winner after the results. We believe that the American authorities had a side they favored in the past. ”
Does Bujumbura expect a new approach to the crisis?
Evariste Ndayishimiye hopes that the new leaders will clearly understand Burundi government when they begin to analyze the world’s situation. Talking to Jeune Afrique, Willy Nyamitwe, senior communication advisor to President Nkurunziza says: “We are not in this logic”. For him, this victory of Donald Trump is more similar to what happened in Burundi. “Contrary to what opinion-makers, the media and some scholars often try to make people believe, voters always have the last word.” He is confident that the elected president will make the right decision when the truth about the real situation in Burundi comes out.
President Nkurunziza has been among the world leaders who congratulated Donald Trump on his victory. He tweeted just after the announcement of the billionaire’s victory: “Mr. Donald Trump, on behalf of the Burundian people, we warmly congratulate you. Your victory is that of all Americans.”
Reactions
Jérémie Minani: “We expect a firm support for the inter-Burundian dialogue from him. “
Jérémie Minani: “All Burundian contingents on peacekeeping mission abroad have to be brought back home”.
“Cnared expects the new President of the United States to give firm support to the inter-Burundian peace process under the aegis of the East African Community,” says Jérémie Minani, commissioner for communication at Cnared Gira-Iteka, the opposition platform. For him, Donald Trump is called to take tough measures against Burundi government, to lead the latter to abandon the way of violence and put forward negotiations.
Speaking on the reactions of Burundi government, Minani said it was surprising to see the gravediggers of democracy rejoice: “They are perhaps in the logic of thinking that the President of the USA will be easily manipulated, that he will endorse the absurdity of President Nkurunziza’s third term.”He reminds them that Donald Trump has spoken many times about tyrannical regimes: “He dismisses any idea of sympathizing with dictators going so far as to say that he would arrest some of them.”
According to him, whatever the tenant of the White House, American foreign policy does not change radically. “The US has already taken a clear position in the Burundian crisis. It’s not Donald Trump who’s going to take the opposite path”, he concludes.
Jacques Bigirimana: “We have just escaped in extremis the danger represented by Hillary Clinton.”
This is the statement of Jacques Bigirimana, president of the FNL party, after the victory of Donald Trump. He asks Trump administration not to embark on the destabilization of Africa as it is the case of Libya. “The government of Burundi should carry out a visit to Donald Trump to expose the injustice of the Democratic administration.
Through his tweets, Bigirimana took the opportunity to take stock of the Bill Clinton government: “Bill Clinton did not prevent the assassination of the first democratically elected president, Melchior Ndadaye, in 1993, while the CIA and the FBI certainly knew the macabre plan. Bad enough, he did not intervene to protect Burundians who were being killed by the army at that time.”
Abel Gashatsi: “A promising election…”
Abel Gashatsi, president of Uprona, hopes that the advent of Donald Trump to the destinies of the United States of America infuses new blood into the diplomacy of the two countries.”It is a promising election for our country”. In light of diplomatic relations between Bujumbura and the outgoing administration, Gashatsi already sees a revival of cooperation, especially the lifting of the sanctions that the Obama administration has taken against some heavyweights close to the regime of Nkurunziza. “Undoubtedly, if he wants to impress his mark on African diplomacy, he will seek to know the truth about Burundi and embark on a new era in diplomatic relations between our two countries.”
Tatien Sibomana: “The extension of the same policy …”
Tatien Sibomana
Reacting to the surprising election of the republican Donald Trump as the next US president, Tatien Sibomana, spokesperson of Uprona party which is not officially recognized by the government, says those who start rubbing their hands that the newly elected president will let African dictators oppress their people without doing anything are wrong. “In a sub-region of the Great Lakes in perpetual disorder and violence of all kinds, I do not see him turn a blind eye to the abuses committed here.” He goes on to say that even though republicans may not be as interventionist as democrats, in most cases, their foreign policy is a continuation of that of the democrats.
Analysis
Ambassador Cyprien Mbonimpa, an international relations specialist, says it is still early to rule on Donald Trump’s policy. He underlined the specificity of the new president, evoking a businessman without a political past. “Let us wait until he arrives at the White House and becomes aware of the realities of the country and the world to decide what his policy will be like.”
The ambassador said that the president of the United States is meant to defend the interests of his country from the outset, whether a republican or a democrat. He stresses the importance of Trump’s rhetoric during the electoral campaign. “He will not fulfill de facto all his campaign promises.”
According to this specialist in international relations, the American policy on Africa may not change. Cyprien Mbonimpa highlighted the intransigence of the United States on issues of human rights and good governance.
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