After the Attorney General of the Republic reopened the case on the assassination of President Ndadaye, Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, former Burundi President appeals to Burundians not to speculate on the case.
Sylvestre Ntibanatunganya: “Burundians need to know the truth about the preparation and perpetration of crimes committed against democratically elected institutions in 1993”
The Attorney General of the Republic, Sylvestre Nyandwi, issued on November 30, international arrest warrants against 17 Burundians involved in the assassination case of President Melchior Ndadaye. Many of them held high positions in the country during his assassination in 1993 or occupied them before and after that date.
Mr Nyandwi,says to have necessary elements of the investigation proving that former president Pierre Buyoya could have been involved in the assassination of his successor.
The Attorney General asked the countries hosting them to extradite them to Burundi “so that they can justify themselves on the accusations against them”.
President Ndadaye was assassinated on October 21, 1993. President Buyoya, who was defeated following the June 1 elections of the same year, handed over power to him on July 10.
In a statement released on December 2, Ex- President Pierre Buyoya, who is currently a High Representative of the African Union in Mali and the Sahel, explains the reopening of the case on the assassination of President Ndadaye, thirteen years after the ruling CNDD-FDD party came to power, is motivated by political reasons.
President Buyoya says the case is reopened whenthe government has refuseddialogue to solve the current crisis it caused in 2015 despite multiple requests of the international community.
“I believe this is a simple political manipulation and a new diversionary tactic adopted by the government aimed at escaping Burundi problems which have remained unresolvedsince the Burundian authorities decided to break the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, “reads the statement. Ex-Burundi President Pierre Buyoya says Bujumbura is not able to guarantee a formal trial at this time.
Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, former Burundi President and member of the government formed by Melchior Ndadaye believes that Burundians need to know the truth about the preparation and execution of crimes committed against democratically elected institutions in 1993.
“In 2017, during the commemoration of the 24th anniversary of the assassination of President Ndadaye, his wife asked that justice prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes,” recalls Ntibantunganya, adding that the case on the assassination of Ndadaye had been opened in 1998. It is not new, he says.
He calls on Burundians not to speculate on the case. He criticizes some people who want to disruptthat trialfor political reasons. Instead, he asks Burundians to support Burundian justice so that it can shed light on these crimes. President Ntibantunganya says the 1993 crimes are the main cause of the problems Burundi is facing.
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