It’s time to negotiate': Burundi activist appeals to leaders
Latest update : 2015-12-17
A Burundian activist has called for dialogue to resolve the political crisis sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to seek a third term in office, warning that it risks becoming an ethnic conflict.
Burundian grassroots activist Deogratias Niyonkuru stops to take a closer look at a work of art near the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He takes out his mobile phone to photograph the gun turned into a musical instrument.
“It’s a very good idea to transform a weapon into a guitar. That’s what should be done in Burundi,” Niyonkuru says.
Niyonkuru came from rural Burundi to the United Nations in New York in late November to share his experience as a peacebuilder. He runs a prizewinning NGO, ADISCO, that helps farmers set up cooperatives, increase production and gain access to much-needed healthcare.A decision in May by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term sparked months of brutal violence in Niyonkuru's home country. At least 300 people have been killed and 200,000 have fled, according to the UN. Nearly 90 people were killed in a fresh flare-up of unrest on Friday.
Niyonkuru explains that while what is happening in Burundi is political, it has deeper roots. He counts out the country’s previous crises on his fingers: “62, 65, 69, 72, 88, 91 and 93 - there is a problem in Burundi and it is highly linked to poverty.”
Unemployment to blame
Ninety percent of Burundi’s population lives on agriculture. On average, a family of six lives off a piece of land the size of half a football field. With farming their only option for the future, Burundi’s youth feel disenfranchised. Niyonkuru says that only six percent of young people work in the formal sector and that unemployed youths, who feel backed into a corner are responsible, in many cases, for the current violence. There’s a saying in Burundi’s native language, Kirundi: “In any case, I’m already dead”.
Niyonkuru’s organisation was founded in 2006 as the country started reconstruction efforts following the last civil war. He describes the situation then as highly promising, with Hutus and Tutsis even beginning to intermarry - a real sign of increased social cohesion. Yet Niyonkuru says he noticed a change for the worse two years ago and a dramatic change in April this year, when the president announced his bid for a third term. Since then, politicians have been using inflammatory language that risks transforming a political crisis into an ethnic one, Niyonkuru added.
The softly spoken civil society leader says that if the international community continues to put pressure on the government and the opposition to negotiate then there is still a chance for peace. Yet, he describes the situation as extremely fragile: “Everyone is concerned by safety. For those working with the population and trying to help them, it is a dramatic situation.
“I am not sure that one party can win a war in Burundi. I doubt it very much. Because, you do not know who is your enemy. Your friend can be your enemy the next day so how is it possible to win a war in such a situation. If this escalates into an open war, I am afraid genocide could be possible.”
Date created : 2015-12-17
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