Burundi: Unemployed citizens are forced to work in Bujumbura

“After the speech of Burundian Prime Minister PM who threatens to punish unemployed people who go to the city center of the Town Hall of Bujumbura , the police have been carrying out arbitrary arrests since this morning. Victims are taken to the Intwari Stadium construction site for forced labor without pay. A responsible power, however, has the obligation to provide paid work to citizens who need it, instead of treating them as slaves” (FORSC Burundi, 30.01.2023).

The true form of a dictatorship is obvious. The CNDD-FDD is just showing its face. Not only is it well-known for its brutal tactics and means to an end. As the opposition or activists have been silenced. That is well known by now and that’s why the regime is “strong”. However, their means to an end is becoming more striking.

Now, there are reports that the “idle” or the “unemployed” are rounded up in Bujumbura to work without pay on construction sites. They are picked up by the Police and arbitrary arrested without any form of justification. Where they are taken into custody for the sole purpose of working. This work is being done without a salary, contract or any sort of pay. This is initiating slave labour and organizing slavery in the streets of Bujumbura.

President Ndayishimiye should decree or stop this practice. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t count on it. This is now showing how vicious the Prime Minister Ndirakobuca is and what his willing to do.

We know that this practice will not cause any big stir or headlines, even though there should be no reason not too. Because, who in their right mind does this and think this is legit? This is tyranny at its purest and finest. As the value of the citizenry is only their breath. Since, they can easily be accessed and used by the powers to be. Suddenly, the citizens can become their slaves and workforce without any contract or stipulations to get benefits for their work. Meaning they are powerless and could easily become slaves of the society. The peasants are the slaves of the CNDD-FDD system now. Especially, if the CNDD-FDD continues with it or makes it happening across the Republic. Peace.

Burundi: Pan-African Youth Union – Pan African Youth Union congratulates the Government of the Republic of Burundi on the Ratification of the African Youth Charter (11.01.2023)

Burundi: Instument de Ratification par la Republique du Burundi de la Charte Africaine de la Jeunesse Adoptee a Banjul en Gambie, le 2 Juillet 2006 (09.01.2023)

Burundi: OCHA – CERF allocates $3.5 million to support life-saving food assistance in Burundi (09.01.2023)

International Criminal Court (ICC): Defence Team for Dominic Ongwen (16.12.2022)

Burundi: Iwacu – Communique du Journal Iwacu – Le journaliste Jeremie Misago est introuvable depuis ce samedi (21.11.2022)

Uganda: Joint Press Release – Court Case against Uganda and Tanzania over the EACOP Project to be heard (11.11.2022)

A look into the leaked SGR Agreement

Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen releases SGR agreement for public scrutiny. Some key loan terms:

~ Loan amount not exceeding $1.6Bn

~ 2.0% per annum interest

~ 0.25% management fee

~ 20-year tenure with a 7yr grace period

~ preference for the purchase of goods from China” (Kenyan Wallstreet, 06.11.2022).

The SGR Agreement decides that the Kenyan Government has 13 years to repay the loans for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). This is happening after the 7 year grace period. The agreement was signed off on the 14th May 2014 and 7 years after that is last year May 2021.

There been speculations about this agreement ever since the Jubilee government signed it and accepted it’s terms. It was even at one point, rumours that the Kenyan government had signed off the Mombasa Port operations to the China EXIM Bank.

What it instead says in addition to the terms of the direct financial manner. It says something very interesting…

A key parts of the SGR Agreement is this, as well as the other mentioned terms: “The Borrower undertakes to procure that the Government of Kenya or the relevant authorities of Kenya shall stipulate and issue preferential policies, regulations or approvals in relation to RDF which could be applied in priority to make the repayment of loans in relation to the Project as owning to the Lender, the Long Term Service Agreement and its due performance, the revenues generated from the Project which will be applied in priority to make the repayment of loans in relation to the Project as owing to the Lender (except for the expenditures of operation and management of the Project), the Inlander Container Depot (inland port) established in Nairobi and its mandatory customs clearance, and all other necessary policies or approvals, with an aim to ensuring the due operation of the Project and the repayment of such loans in relation to the Project as owing to the Leader” (SGR Agreement, 2014).

Here the borrower is setting the terms of usage and how the transport policies are set. This is now in print and in public. It now makes perfect sense why the authorities and the government ordered all goods or movement of cargo is directed to the SGR. That is done in accordance with the agreement actually. Because the stipulation is actually there…

Certainly, you can wonder if Beijing or the China Exim Bank is happy with the leakage of the agreement between them and the Kenyan Government. They would most likely be happy to have it under seal and hidden from the public space. Because, now the realities of this agreement is in the public domain.

The SGR is already a sort of failure and lack of creating revenue. That’s why the SGR haven’t been profitable or had the ability be viable. That’s why the Kenyan Government had to direct all cargo to go through the SGR and to the Navisha or Inland Port in Nairobi. Therefore, this agreement is just showing how bad this deal was.

The one winning here is China and they are getting lots of interests out of it. They are able to get the Kenyan government on their side. The Kenyan Government accepted a huge loan for an expensive railway. A railway that will take forever to be a feasible enterprise. That’s why these terms will be a liability and an expensive expense for the taxpayers in the years to come. While the SGR will not deliver or be able to re-coup the debt. That’s what is tragic here… Peace.

Burundi: Confederation de Syndicats du Burundi (COSYBU) – Communique de Presse des Confederations Syndicales COSYBU et CSB sur la Hausse des Prix des Produits de Premiere Necessite (02.11.2022)

A look into Mzee’s 60th Independence Speech [a story about coffee and the pipeline]

For the 35th time or the 36th time that President Yoweri Tibuhurwa Kaguta Museveni has addressed the nation in the Independence Day. This year its the 60th year since Uganda got independent from the United Kingdom. That day should have been held with fanfare and celebration across the Republic. However, the most vital and important place to be was at Kololo in Kampala. Where Museveni together with foreign dignitaries was at a bash. Which lasted and lasted.

President Museveni knows how to hold lectures and long one too. So, I will only take a few paragraphs here and there. That’s the ones that stood out to me. Because there is a lot of flesh and bone in a two hour speech and nobody with a sane mind wants to fact-check that on a whim. Therefore, I am only looking at snippets and addressing them as I see fit.

Like this one: “These achievements, have been in spite of the stiff opposition we have been facing from the parasites and their foreign backers, such as the Monitor Newspaper. To take an example, this paper, on the 22nd of May, 2022,it said that: “Coffee deal stinks; but key culprit will not be punished”. In other words, Museveni is committing a crime by trying to add value to the Ugandan Coffee” (Museveni, 09.10.2022).

By saying this we know his the Hawk Limited, which wasn’t addressed in the Parliament report. As the Government of Uganda and Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Limited has made agreements, which is practically creating a coffee-bean monopoly to a company that isn’t really built yet. Neither is the coffee factory built or ready for the levels of production either. That’s why this whole deals stinks and could easily destroy the agricultural output with the marginalized agreements, which isn’t benefiting the free-market or the spirit of producing it either. This is not an incentive or an adjustment anyone asked for, but a problem and bottleneck, which the President himself has created.

While on the subject. This paragraph is just amazing:

After that, I engaged the Nestle group in Davos. They made it clear that they already had their factory for coffee processing in the UK and would not build a new one. Hence, we had to remain as Raw-Material producers, getting only 5% of the value of the coffee we grow. They, moreover, try to muddy the water by claiming that “blending” of the different coffees can only take place in Europe etc. We told them that Uganda had all the varieties and the blending would be done here. That has been the war, I have been involved in until I got the Vinci Company to help me. You heard how some of the MPs were talking in that war. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, had built a coffee processing factory in Bukoba, in Tanzania, near the border of Uganda. When I heard of that, I linked our people with that effort. They were producing an end product known as “Star Coffee”. Unknown to me, the officials of Uganda, allowed that effort to die out or get stunted. What blindness and betrayal this is!!” (Museveni, 09.10.2022).

It is interesting that Museveni mentions Nestle, which is only this year opening up a Coffee Processing Plant in Mexico. So, this means that Museveni is lying about the fact or that’s so long ago that the Nestle company has changed their perspective. Nevertheless, I don’t believe Coffee can only be processed in Europe. That is deliberately false and a lie. Just to malign Europe and direct his displeasure with Europeans in general. In this regard, there are already coffee processing plants in Uganda. Just to mention one other, which has been operating since 2015 is in Bushenyi district and run by APCU Union. This plant alone is sufficiently supporting 6,000 small-coffee growers in the Bushenyi district. So, the UVCC agreement with the monopoly is dismantling and destroying for instance that processing plant, which is already in operation since 2015. It just shows how his not interested in other visions than his own. His actually betraying the ones that already has started and is operating, which was also described earlier this in a Parliamentary Report. A report that the President don’t mention or even cares to assess. It’s his way or the highway…

On another note, he speaks of the petroleum pipeline:

Recently, there was yet another manifestation of Imperialistic arrogance and hegemonism by elements in the European Union Parliament whereby they decreed from Brussels that the East African Crude Oil Pipeline should not be constructed, until those arrogant actors permit us to do so. Parasitic elements from that part of the World, have been causing problems for Africa and the World for the last 500 years” (Museveni, 09.10.2022).

It is really astonishing the ways that he puts this. That’s why you know this is “his oil” and he feels tampered with. He isn’t describing or explaining the grievances of the EU Parliament Motion. Only describing them the worst way possible and putting them in sinister political context. Instead, of trying to defend with proper arguments for the continuation of it. While again maligning his detractors with language that isn’t fitting for a grown man of his stature, but we know that is common practice from him.

Well, enough for this piece, will write one more about his speech. Since it was over 30 pages and there was one more tale that needs to be addressed. It’s coming on the page as soon as it is finished. Peace.