A week after the “ceasefire” agreed upon by political party leaders and governors, many meetings are being held to block political intolerance in the country. But the lull is not total as evidenced by clashes that occurred in Burenza locality a few days ago.
In Burenza, the neighbors came to support the family of the victim.
At least one person died of injuries and eight others were wounded in clashes that broke out between CNL party members and the Imbonerakure- youth of the ruling party CNDD-FDD in Burenza locality, in Mubimbi commune of Bujumbura province.
CNL activists armed with machetes and clubs gained the upper hand. Serges Nsengiyumva from the CNDD-FDD party group received machete blows that cost him his life. His friends took him to the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières which could not deal with his case, as said by one of them. They took him to the military hospital which had no room and finally transferred him to Roi Khaled Hospital. “There, he received first aid. The case was still difficult to manage and Serges Nsengiyumva was transferred to Kira Hospital for a thorough exam before returning to Roi Khaled Hospital where he finally died, “said Prosper Niyongabo, a neighbor of the victim. Of the eight wounded, seven are also the Imbonerakure and one of them is a CNL party member.
We arrived at the scene, two days after the clashes and the locality seemed calm. The center was not very busy yet. For that, as some young boys we met on the scene said, we had to wait until 5 p.m.
In Burenza, right next to Ineza health center, there are remains of a business house reduced to ashes. “It was a wooden house with three rooms, a hairdressing salon, a shop and a sort of small beer store. The house was destroyed a few minutes after the clashes, “said a resident near the scene.
Although everyone agrees that it is an “arson”, there are numerous assumptions about the perpetrators of the crime.
CNL party members speak about “the Imbonerakure’s revenge after their defeat in the fight”.
This assumption is rejected by the chief of the locality, Léopold Bigirimana. He says that two of the three rooms burned belonged to two Imbonerakure.
He suspects Claver Nzeyimana, a CNL activist who was arrested with a machete in his hand.
“He was accompanied by four soldiers who were up in arms about the Imbonerakure of the joint security committee, accusing them of all the ills. One of the soldiers snuck into the scene of the fire just before the house caught fire. Let’s wait and see what the investigations will reveal,” he says.
The police arrived at the scene and arrested all those who were involved in the fight. “They did not select any. They took away both the members of CNL and CNDD-FDD parties,” says a witness.
It is difficult to say how many are currently in the dungeon of Mageyo zone. According to residents, three detainees were brought to Bujumbura by the provincial police commissioner.
Tensions are far from being eased. On Tuesday, August 27, another fight probably following that of Sunday broke out, despite calls for calm. Young people of the ruling party want to avenge their dead friend.
CNL party has reported two wounded on its side. They were also arrested on Wednesday by the police for investigation. Térence Manirambona, spokesman for CNL party, calls on political party activists to respect the calls for calm launched by their leaders.
Political intolerance: Towards the end of the escalation?
The Secretary General of CNDD-FDD party, Evariste Ndayishimiye, calls for a cease-fire to prevent the escalation of the situation.
On Thursday, August 22, a meeting organized by the First Vice-President of the Republic brought together the leaders of political parties and provincial governors. Political intolerance was the only item on the agenda. “The situation is serious. It’s requested by President Nkurunziza,” said the First Vice-President, Gaston Sindimwo.
During this meeting, everyone agreed that political intolerance borders on violence. They refer to party offices vandalized, attacks, disproportionate counter-attacks, arrest for political motives,…
Photos of people killed and others injured begin to pile up. Something must be done to avoid an escalation of the situation a few months before the 2020 elections.
A one-month ceasefire was issued by the boss of the ruling party.
Evariste Ndayishimiye calls for concrete actions during this month to appease the situation. He says that the governors who accept to be influenced by the party officials at the provincial level should resign. “During the electoral period, the administrative officials resign and become political party activists. They must bear in mind that they must govern for all. Otherwise they will be accused of high treason.”
For the Secretary General of the ruling party CNDD-FDD, the administrative officials as well as politicians should disassociate themselves with those who commit crimes and bring disgrace on the party.
“In a month, we will meet again here for an evaluation. In the meantime, each governor will have met with the municipal administrators, who in turn will communicate to the area chiefs. Those who will not have exemplarily fought against impunity will be removed from office.” These are the recommendations adopted by all participants in the meeting.
A week after the announcement, the ruling party says that a meeting was held for leaders of the CNDD-FDD party at the provincial level as well as provincial governors.
The purpose of this meeting was to adopt mechanisms to communicate the motto and put in place strategies to fight against political intolerance. According to the information commissioner of this party, Nancy Ninette Mutoni, the decision remains the same: to increase the number of meetings with the local administration and local party leaders and to fight against impunity within the party and at the administration level.
Governors have already started to mobilize. This Wednesday, the governor of Gitega gathered in his province the leaders of the political parties and the local administrative officials. The Governor of Ngozi province did the same.
Although the general lull is far from being achieved, as evidenced by the tensions prevailing in Burenza area, the previous week was much more marked by meetings and appeasement speeches.
One thing is certain, if one is to judge the influence of the Secretary General of the ruling party, it is now. The evolution of the situation on the ground after his strong speech will be a good test to know if Evariste Ndayishimiye is the man of the situation. It will be interesting to see if the administrators (mostly from CNDD-FDD), the Imbonerakure and their leaders will act accordingly. It will be seen in a month, at the time of the promised evaluation, if the situation will have improved.
Story written by Agnès Ndirubusa and translated into English
by Pierre Emmanuel Ngendakumana
IWACU Open Data
