Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bujumbura (Fides Service)-“This is an inextricable skein, let’s hope that with time and infinite patience Burundi will find the way out of this spiral of violence” a local Church source in Burundi told Fides, with regard to yet another battle between the army and the National Liberation Forces rebels FNL. Yesterday March 15, heavy fighting was reported not far from the capital Bujumbura, between army troops and the FNL. The outcome was uncertain: both sides claim they inflicted losses on the enemy. The FNL mainly Hutu has not signed the peace agreement with the government. Whereas the main Hutu rebel group Forces for the Defence of Democracy FDD, signed an agreement on 16 November 2003, which gave the FDD vice presidency and four ministries, 40% army officer posts and 35% police officer posts.
“Continuing to fight the army the FNL wants to show its rivals FDD that only they can restore peace to the country. There might be a fight for control of Hutu representation. In fact FDD men are ever more present beside the regular army to fight the FNL. In some cases the Hutu groups find themselves fighting each other with no intervention by the regular army”, the sources told Fides.
The FNL which recently started a timid attempt to dialogue with the government, is marked by a strong ethnic ideology. In fact its leaders refuse to talk to the national unity executive they will only talk with those who, in their view, are in Tutsi army leaders.
Since 1993, rebel groups of ethnic majority Hutus have fought the regular army, formed mainly of minority ethnic group Tutsi in a civil war in which at least 300,000 have been killed. In 2000 a political agreement was reached in Arusha (Tanzania) form an interim government which includes most of the political parties but not the rebels. Only a more recent agreement signed in Dar es Salaam in 2003 finally opened the path to peace. In October 2003 in Pretoria (South Africa) in the presence of South African President Thabo Mbeki, Burundian president Domitien Ndayizeye and FDD leader Pierre Nkurunziza signed an agreement to end hostilities and the rebels obtain the vice presidency, four ministries and 40% of army officer posts and 35% police officer posts.
At the end of the period of transition there should be multi-party elections at the end of 2004. Recently however some political leaders said the vote should be postponed for logistic reasons (see Fides 19 February 2004 and 4 March 2004). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 1673/2004, righe 38 parole 497 )
