Mixed reactions to Nkurunziza's possible fourth term
January 3, 2017
Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza does not rule out a new run for the presidency in 2020, despite his solemn promise not to do so at his 2015 inauguration. Some Burundians are disappointed, but others approve.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Karaba
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Asked by a presenter on national radio whether he will run for another term in 2020, President Pierre Nkurunziza used the well-worn pretext "it's up to the people to decide" to signal his interest in staying on.
DW went out into the streets of the capital Bujumbura, to ask Burundians what they think of the president's implied plans. Most citizens asked not to be identified, fearing repercussions. Reactions were mixed. One man, for instance, said that a new term for Nkurunziza was not necessarily a bad thing: "If the citizens decide that the constitution should be changed, and that this or that person should be allowed to run, then that person is not breaking the law of betraying the people."
A country ruled by fear
Other Burundians in the capital told DW that they felt disappointment on hearing the president's statements, since they remembered his promise not to run again in 2020. Some, like this waitress in a restaurant, said that the country would take a turn to the worse: "Many people are afraid of his power." She pointed out that there are many Burundians living as refugees in other countries and added that if Nkurunziza ran again: "… the crisis we are facing now will continue."
A teacher in Bujumbura told DW that the situation in the country is deteriorating rapidly. He pointed to increased poverty, the abuse of human rights and killings, like the murder of Burundi's environment and water minister Emmanuel Niyonkuru on Sunday: "And mainly it is because the president is willing to stay in power forever, while he is not giving the country any hopes that we will overcome the current situation."
Protests against President Nukurunziza have left 500 dead in the past two yearsImage: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Kurokawa
'The president is a liar'
Burundi has been in political turmoil for the past two years, with deadly violence flaring up sporadically. Nkurunziza's announcement that he would seek a third term in office triggered massive protests and a failed coup attempt. Ensuing unrest has left more than 500 people dead. More than 300,000 have fled the central African country. The president has worked to shore up control of the country with a crackdown on opponents, the media and civil society. This has upset many Burundians. A pharmacist called the president a liar for reneging on his promise not to run again. The current crisis has had a negative impact on every area, she added: "No production and no freedom of expression. No one can say what he thinks."
The view is not consensual. Some Burundians told DW that President Nkurunziza is a good leader and that he should remain in power. One of them was this farmer, who said: "We want peace. And if the majority of people vote for Nkurunziza, that means people are happy with his leadership. Our economy would be on a more stable basis and even people of low income could then live a good life. So, if he wins: no problem. We will accept him as out president."
Constitutional reform in the making
Tanzania is one of many countries Burundians have fled toImage: DW/P. Kwigize
He was seconded by this lady shopkeeper, who also saw no problem in an extension of Nlurunziza's presidency: "If he is a really good leader then, no problem. A term is not a concern for me. The concern is a good leader."
During the live radio program, Nkurunziza admitted that he had promised in 2015 not to run again, but that this promise was made in a "different context." Citizens would change that context through an amendment of the national constitution, he added.
The president is seeking to legitimize his constitutional reform by referring to a report by the National Council for Internal Dialogue (CNDI). The document published by the council claims that a majority of Burundians participating in the institutionalized dialogue – which excludes the opposition at home and abroad - want to change the limit of two terms imposed on the president by the constitution. Following the publication, the government decided to nominate a commission to prepare a constitutional reform.
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Burundi: The chronology of a crisis
A year ago, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza returned to power for a controversial third five-year term. Since then violence has escalated and no end to the crisis is in sight.
Image: Reuters/E. Benjamin
Election amid high tensions
July 21, 2015: After three months of protests against Pierre Nkurunziza's third term and fierce battles between Nkurunziza’s supporters and the opposition, the presidential election was finally held. But the opposition chose to boycott it.
Image: Reuters/E. Benjamin
Agathon Rwasa, an unlucky loser?
July 24, 2015: President Nkurunziza wins the presidential election in the first round. With 69% of the vote, he was far ahead of his main challenger, Agathon Rwasa. By the end of July, Rwasa was surprisingly elected as first vice president of the national assembly, sparking criticism from his former allies.
Image: Reuters/M. Hutchings
European Union raises concerns
August 1, 2015: Adolphe Nshimirimana, head of internal security and considered the right-hand man of the president, is assassinated. In a statement, the European Union raised concern over this "dangerous escalation of violence." Brussels calls for "restraint" and a resumption of "dialogue."
August 3, 2015: Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, head of the human rights organization (APRODH), survives an assassination attempt and is evacuated to Brussels for medical treatment. But his family continues to be targeted and in October 2015 one of his sons-in-laws is killed and a month later his son is also murdered in Bujumbura.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/C. De Souza
Tensions with neighboring Rwanda
Since the crisis began, a large number of Burundian refugees fled to neighboring Rwanda. On November 6, 2015, President Kagame spoke about what was happening in Burundi: "People are dying every day, corpses littering the streets," he said. "They should learn from what happened here." Nkurunziza’s team fired back, accusing Rwanda of training rebels seeking to destabilize the country.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Kagire
Violence escalates
December 12, 2015: A crackdown begins on neighborhoods like Nyakabiga that were believed to be strongholds of protesters. This came after an attack by rebels against three military camps. More than a hundred victims were identified. The UN said that 400 people had been killed since April 26 and 3,500 were arrested in connection with the crisis.
Image: Reuters/J.P. Aime Harerimana
The United Nations sounds the alarm
December 17, 2015: The United Nations warns that the situation in Burundi is "highly explosive" and that the country is on the path to a civil war. Adama Dieng, the UN special rapporteur on the prevention of genocide, warns of a possible genocide. "If a conflict breaks out on a large scale, we cannot pretend that we did not know about it," he said.
December 23, 2015: A former army officer in the Burundian army forms the "Republican Forces of Burundi" (FOREBU). Lieutenant Colonel Edouard Nshimirimana accuses Pierre Nkurunziza of instigating the security forces to commit acts of violence and pitting police and military against each other along ethnic lines.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Pfister
Attempted dialogue
December 28, 2015: Inter-Burundian peace talks start in Entebbe under the auscipices of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The African Union (AU) also announces that it will deploy a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force to help secure the country, an idea that is immediately rejected by the Burundian government.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Wandera
Mediation fails
January 2016: Mediation fails to kickoff in Arusha. A month later, February 25 -26, the African Union sends a "high- level" delegation to Bujumbura led by South African President Jacob Zuma. It’s another failed attempt. Bujumbura refuses to talk with the opposition CNARED. UNHCR announces a group of independent experts to investigate violations of human rights in Burundi.
Image: Reuters/E. Ngendakumana
Allegations of torture by security forces
April 18, 2016: The UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein criticizes Burundi’s security forces for routinely torturing prisoners. Since the beginning of the year, his team had registered at least 345 new cases of torture. He urged the Burundian authorities to immediately put an end to torture in all its forms.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Campardo
Opposition not invited for dialogue
May 21, 2016: After another delay, the Inter-Burundian dialogue resumes in Arusha, Tanzania at the initiative of the Tanzanian mediator, former President Benjamin Mkapa. The Burundian authorities demand that the opposition coalition CNARED should not be part of the dialogue. In June, the facilitator [Mkapa] travels to Brussels to meet members of the Opposition for the first time.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Karumba
Costly doodles
June 3: Eleven students from a high school in Muramvya, in central Burundi, were charged and jailed for insulting the head of state. Their crime: doodled pictures of President Nkurunziza. A week earlier, more than 300 college students from Ruziba, south of Bujumbura, were expelled from school for the same reason.
Image: DW
A former minister assassinated
July 13, 2016. Hafsa Mossi, a former minister believed to be close to President Nkurunziza, is murdered near his home. A member of the ruling CNDD-FDD party, the former journalist was also the communications advisor for Nkurunziza. It is the first time a prominent political figure has been assassinated in Burundi.
Image: Reuters/E. Ngendakumana
An empty seat in Kigali
The crisis in Burundi was on the agenda of the 27th AU Summit in Kigali in July, but it took place without a representative from Bujumbura. The Burundi delegation left the Rwandan capital without explanation just days before the start of the summit. No action was taken against the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza, who still refuses to negotiate with the opposition.
