The National Commission for the Inter-Burundian Dialogue (CNDI) has just delivered to the Head of State the final report on the activities it has carried out since its implementation on 23 October 2015.
The Members of the CNDI presents the 86 page-report to the head of state
“The majority of Burundians consulted support the suppression of the presidential term limits and stand for the amendment of the constitution,” says Archbishop Justin Nzoyisaba, chairperson of the National Commission of the Inter-Burundian Dialogue (CNDI).
The 86 page -report handed over to President Pierre Nkurunziza on 12 May contains 26,000 opinions and suggestions, a sample of more than ten million Burundians.
The CNDI chairman says the report is not the result of a fictitious survey but a true gathering of the grievances of thousands of Burundians from all groups. “We have collected useful and necessary information”, says Archbishop Nzoyisaba.
Evariste Ndayishimiye, the ruling party’s secretary general says his party supports the government’s commission that will identify the provisions that could be amended. Concerning the presidential term limits, Ndayishimiye says the CNDD-FDD congress is yet to meet to decide.
On 12 May, the President appointed 15 members of a commission in charge of proposing the draft amendment to the Constitution. The commission has six months, that could be extend once for two months, to identify and analyze all the various provisions to be amended and propose them to the government.
Opposition refuses to accept CNDI report
Jérèmie Ngendakumana, spokesperson for the National Council for the Respect of Arusha Agreement (CNARED) says it is not the time the constitution has been amended. “Burundians are not calm and not ready for the amendment. They are gripped by fear following the murders observed on a daily basis, kidnapping cases, forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests,” says Ngendakumana.
The former chairman of the ruling party says the amendment of the constitution aims at overriding the Arusha peace agreement. “Pierre Nkurunziza was elected for his first presidential term in 2005 thanks to the Arusha Agreement. Then, he wants to review the constitution with the main objective of remaining in the power,” he says.
Tatien Sibomana, an opposition politician, says the CNDI report does not require action from Burundians but rather from members of the CNDD-FDD, to override the Arusha agreement. He says the opinions expressed in the CNDI report are nothing new. “All the opinions expressed were prepared by the ruling party in 2013, when the draft constitution law failed to be adopted in the National Assembly,” he says.
The CNDI was created in October 2015 by presidential decree. Its mission is to lead dialogue between Burundians to help find solutions to problems that plague their country. The dialogue sessions were held while a number of leaders of the opposition and civil society organizations were in exile following the controversial third term of Pierre Nkurunziza announced in April 2015.
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