Bujumbura (Fides Service) - "The people who signed the cease-fire agreement have in no way respected it. The devastation of war continues. Burundians, particularly the simple people, continue to die and their goods are sacked or destroyed." The Catholic Bishops of Burundi where a civil war has been fought since 1993 and has taken at least 200,000 lives, raised this cry of alarm. Despite agreements signed in Arusha (Tanzania) 28 August 2000, the conflict between the regular army and various groups of rebels continues. The Bishops say: "We are very concerned about what we see and what we hear. In fact those who signed the cease-fire agreement are still fighting. This is all due to a struggle for power on the part of both political leaders and rebels who have no concern for the people already so sorely tried. One has the impression that these political actors want to govern a country robbed of its people and its resources".
"What should be done in this situation?" The Bishops ask. "Once again we wish in the name of God, to launch a cry of alarm to the political leaders. We urge them to give priority to the interests of the nation and the citizens; we urge them to put aside their fruitless disputes and stop devoting their energies simply to taking or maintaining political power for their own profit. We call on other countries and international organisations to exert more pressure to stop the fighting and to make greater efforts to help those who signed the agreement to put it immediately into practice".
See complete statement of bishops at www.fides.org. (Fides Service 25/3/2003 EM lines 22 Words: 289)