By Our Staff Correspondent, BUJUMBURA Burundi
The Burundian leader Major Gen. Évariste Ndayishimiye, suggested that for the sake of peace, his government will reach out to the to the bereaved groups following the ‘distress’ the country went through but fell short of mentioning the 2015 political stand-off which plunged the country into a political crisis and post-election conflict.
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| Burundi refugees receive support from UNHCR |
According
to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) update of May 2020, the above total reflects the
refugee population covered by the Burundi Regional Refugee Response Plan and
includes Burundian refugees who fled since April 2015, as well as some 37,000
Burundian refugees who sought asylum in the region prior to April 2015.
In addition to the population above, there are some 13,800 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya, 7,800 in Mozambique, 8,300 in Malawi, 9,200 in South Africa and 6,000 in Zambia.
Ndayishimiye said that they are all welcome to return, including ‘those who fear to return because of what they did’.
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| Major Gen. Évariste Ndayishimiye |
“We know that there are those who are afraid to
return because of fear of what they did or what their friends did. Even those
we wish them to return,” he said, adding a cynical proverb that suggests that a
baby who soils a shawl that a parent uses to carry him or her is forgiven but
when a grown child does so, they are cautioned never to do it again.
Despite the calls,
Burundian refugees in Rwanda say they are not yet convinced that it is safe to
return home, pointing out that the same system they fled from in 2015 remains
at the helm, only with a different leader.
Emmanuel Nkengurutse, a former lawmaker and
lawyer, who fled the country in 2015, told our reporter that Ndayishimiye’s
government is made up of the same individuals and generals who terrorised and
killed people, especially protesters in 2015.
Nkengurutse described
the new government as a mere change of guard, minus President Nkurunziza who
was buried on Friday in a state funeral.
The Government said the
former leader who died aged 55 succumbed to a cardiac arrest but various
reports pointed to COVID-19.
Ismael Buchanan, senior lecturer of the
department of political science at the University of Rwanda, said the biggest
challenge that President Ndayishimiye’s government is facing is “demobilizing
the dreaded Imbonerakure,” a youth wing of the ruling party which has been
accused of killings and other abuses.
“Ndayishimiye’s inauguration marked the first
peaceful transfer of power to a new president in Burundi, so let him work on
the issue of reconciliation so that he can bring back peace and harmony among
Burundians. He will also need to work on the issue of ethnic tensions which
have plagued Burundi ever since its independence,” Buchanan said.
“In terms of Burundian economy, we all know how Burundi remains one of the world's poorest countries and is heavily dependent on foreign aid to meet the government expenditure. So, the new president will have to deal with this issue of dependency.” He said. - Africa
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