Foreign NGOs operating in Burundi are not allowed to work since this October 1, 2018. Some politicians call on the government to suspend the decision while others say it is normal.
Léonce Ngendakumana: “The government has to suspend this measure as soon as possible”.
Léonce Ngendakumana, deputy president of FRODEBU party calls on the government to suspend the measure urgently. “The government has to suspend this measure as soon as possible. The National Security Council is not the appropriate institution to take such a decision. It plays a consultative role and reports to the government”.
Mr. Ngendakumana says all foreign NGOs have not made the same mistake and cannot be punished in the same way. “It is not all NGOs operating in Burundi that have violated the law. If some do not abide by the law, it doesn’t mean that all of them have to be suspended”.
He says this suspension will mostly affect Burundians as most of those NGOs work with projects that help citizens. “There are NGOs like ‘Médecins Sans Frontières’ known in English as Doctors Without Borders that directly help the population. Imagine the damage it will cause if such institutions close for three months”.
Jean de Dieu Mutabazi, chairman of RADEBU party, says the decision is tough but normal. “It aims to push foreign NGOs to work legally and respect their commitments,” he says.
He says the decision will be lifted for foreign NGOs that comply with the law. “We expect that the decision will change for foreign NGOs that will prove they work in compliance with the law”.
Mr. Mutabazi says it is early to assess the impact of the measure on the socio-economic sectors where those NGOs intervene in the country.
The decision to suspend all foreign NGOs was taken on September 26. This October 1, a meeting was scheduled between those foreign NGOs and the ministry of home affairs but it was postponed to October 2.
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