AFRICA/BURUNDI - Disarm civilians to favour a calmer atmosphere in view of presidential elections

Friday, 6 May 2005

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Bujumbura (Fides Service)- “The President’s initiative aims to create a calmer atmosphere in view of presidential elections planned for 19 August” a local Church source in Burundi told Fides commenting a decree issued by the Burundian president Domitien Ndayizeye to disarm all civilians. “As the elections draw near tension is rising. This measure is to prevent episodes of intimidation of the people or worse, acts of violence” the source told Fides.
One cause of tension is the fact that they cannot agree on a substitute for the Internal Minister who died recently. “In the interim national unity government there exists a precise procedure to replace a minister” the sources told Fides. “The minister is chosen from three candidates presented by the various political groups which support the government. But the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) group, former rebel movement which accepted to join the interim government, has disregarded the procedure and presented its own candidate. This produced a crisis which led the FDD members of government to resign”. The African Union mediator Jacob Zuma, vice president of South Africa, intervened to solve the crisis.
The presidential decree states “the order to hand over weapons applies to all residents in Burundi except members of the army or police forces. Anyone who refuses to hand over a weapon or resists the operation of disarmament will be punished according to the law”.
In Burundi there are more than 300,000 small arms in circulation among civilians mainly as a result of the civil war in 1993. “It is not that civilians carry arms around in public, but it is known that many keep weapons at home” the sources told Fides. “Arms are not sold openly in shops to civilians but anyone who wants a pistol knows where to get one. Many weapons come over the border from Democratic Congo where there are movements of guerrillas and all sorts of traffickers”.
“Measures to disarm civilians will certainly be backed by the Church which is always in favour of initiatives to promote peace and national reconciliation” the sources concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/5/2005 righe 37 parole 380)