Opinion: Nkurunziza is set to run in 2020, unless Jesus returns prematurely!

“Voting is not a right. It is a method used to determine which politician was most able to brainwash you.” – Dennis E. Adonis

Let’s be clear, the Burundian government, the CNDD-FDD Party and President Pierre Nkurunziza are preparing for the General Election in 2020. This has been in the works since the Third Term was accepted by the Constitutional Court on the 5^th May 2015. So, that the President could run for his third term, even as it was questionable considering the Arusha Agreement of 2000 and the Constitution. Still, the CNDD-FDD and President went through it and the crisis has persisted since.

We know, that the state is not backing down, as the state has collected a “volunteer” tax as a preparations for the General Elections in 2020. In some instances even stopping students from enrolling if they are not paying the 2020 fee. There even businesses and others who has been sanctioned for not paying the fare to the state. Therefore, the state is steady preparing and ensuring to be paid-in-full.

However, this isn’t the only step to continue the reign of Nkurunziza, as the state held a Referendum on the 21^st May 2018, which voted with a majority of 73%. The Referendum on that day have permitted and secured the President the legality and eligibility to reign until 2034. Where the Presidential Terms also goes from 5 years until 7 year long terms. This is why, the President can run for two more 7 year terms. That is clearly with intention of letting Pierre run a bit longer.

Therefore, even as the African Union (AU) commend Nkurunziza for not standing in 2020. I have a hard time believing it. Because, everything that has happen since 2015 has been about Nkrunziza and him centralizing all power. That the President has stalled the Inclusive Inter-Burundian Dialogue and so on. There is no action, which gives a proper hope.

Even if Agathon Rwasa gets his own party and gets to run. He will be the main challenger of Nkurunziza is 2020, but he will still not be capable to topple the regime. Unless, they are trying to pull a leg and shift focus, but get him to appoint fellow cronies Nkrunziza trusts. Since, there are no sign of less violence, killings, disappearances and people fleeing into exile. There are no reconciliation or no changes made, which are making things hopeful.

The state has already made laws, which are ethnically based, where NGOs have to hire a set amount of one group, and if not they have to close. Which some NGOs have done as a result, also they have to produce more papers and prove their liabilities and if they stop working there, it can all be ceased by the state. That is how they work. The Burundian government have really shown their despicable face to world.

Not only going after the former FNL and other people who questions the CNDD-FDD, but they are really using the security organizations and the Imbonekura (Party Youth-Wing) to silence the ones speaking up against the regime. This the true scare and reality of who Nkurunziza is.

He might smile and grin wisely in propaganda photos leaked online. But his acts of his government is sinister. The reign and misuse of power is extreme. The state are monitoring everything and ensuring everyone is following party line. That is why I have a hard time believing Nkurunziza would step down and give it up. He has the juicy job and eating on the state. He even moved the political capital to Gitega, because he could. That is the sort of President he is. Therefore, no reasons for him to stop. Unless, he wants to save face, but then he might get into trouble as all the skeletons might haunt him. Peace.

FYI: To end with the quote from the headline. The only reason why I say Jesus returns prematurely, is that we as a world has to many projects and to many things undone. That we should have fixed before he returns. Like more democratically elected persons and not selected elites. We should ensure all people have running tap-water in their homes, electricity, work and food in the belly. As long as that is not there. Than, Jesus has come back to early, because we as humanity couldn’t even fix the basics before he came. Therefore, Nkurunziza will surely run again before Jesus returns. Peace II.

Burundi: Ministre de l’Hydraulique de le l’Energie et des Mines – Communique de Presse (08.08.2018)

Burundi: UPD-Zigamibanga – Declaration du 31 Juillet 2018 (31.07.2018)

Burundi-Rwanda: Who is fooling, who?

“RDF is trained and prepared to fight wars but not to start them with others, but if others make us their problem and choose to start a war with us, that is when we use judgment, determination and training to fight and finish it for them” – President Paul Kagame at the Rwanda Military Academy at the Commissioning Ceremony on the 13^th July 2018.

There been twice reported during this month of movement of a possible militia crossed from Cibitoka province from the Kibra forest in Burundi into Nyungwe forest in the Ruhengeri district in Rwanda. Some Burundian sources claim it is Imbonerakure, the Youth Militia out of the CNDD-FDD in the province, and the final claim is that its trained militias from the Force de Defense National du Burundi (FNDB) too. While that is happening, in the Southern Regions of Rwanda, the 31^st Brigade and the 4^th Division are doing military operations, as reported on the 12^th July. So, it is not like various reports shows something is brewing. Hopefully, just puppy-talk, but these regimes are not sweet uncles, but fierce regimes, who has no trouble getting rid of someone in their way.

That is just some of the reports, so it is hard to know what is real. It has been reported that there was Rwandan Burundi based militia attacked this area in the 1^st July 2018 and that on the 13^th July 2018, that the same group came back.

There been long speculations and rumors of border clashes. But who would be favor of these reports?

Do the Rwandan government want a war with Burundi, as their economy is crippled and the dictator is a mad-Max, whose getting rid of enemies like other trash garbage. It is not like Rwandan dictator is anything different, he has left his opposition to rot in the prison as well. So them both are acting in-different to the voices within their republics. Therefore, non of these regimes are positive for the freedom or liberty. So, I would not defend anyone of these. Pierre Nkurunziza have no problem to send people to their demise, neither would Paul Kagame, he would put someone into a fatal tragedy for standing in his way.

Nevertheless, as the government needs fear, they need wars and enemies to act strong. That the Rwandan government could need a conflict, could consolidate Kagame even more, as he grew up in conflict and came as a General, whose never left power. Nkurunziza came out of a civil war and has now soon gotten rid of all his enemies internally too. These two would need a conflict to gain popularity, because it is just so far fear and self-inflicted deposing of citizens can go. By the time all opposition are gone or in exile.

Certainly, both regimes would need and use this to their favor. However, the Burundian Authorities have said it isn’t true. While the Rwandan government has verified it. This has happen before. You can question, if the Rwandan want to create a crisis and an excuse to attack Burundi. Does the Burundian government want to blame Rwanda and make sure they can attack the neighbor?

As both governments are working to kill this off. You can question why all these reports are coming up and who is fooling who?

What is the play and whose playing? What is the end-game?

I really wonder. Because both parties are saying: “no it wasn’t us and we’re not involved”. While both are sort of blaming the other parties. We will clearly see the signs and see where this goes. Who will use the other party.

However, it is hard to know who is right, as both are using their authorities to counter-claim. The Rwandan has happen through the Police Authority, while the Burundian has claimed it through the army. Certainly, one of them is lying. While in Rwanda, there been military operations going-on, without connections to the possible insurgence from Burundi.

That is why you can wonder if Rwanda are using the Burundi excuse for their own activity? But that is just speculations. Just like the rest. Nothing is really verified and both government like to keep things to their chest and secrets, also not like free media is free to report either. Therefore, the sources are shady at best. Peace.

UN World Food Programme in diplomatic tangle because of the Rwandese beans exported to Burundi (12.04.2017)

Burundi: Le Ministère de la Défense Nationale annonce qu’aucun Groupe armé n’a été aperçu traversant la frontière entre le Burundi et le Rwanda (13.03.2017)

Horrendous bleak situation right now in East Africa/Horn of Africa: Genocide Warnings, Army used against Civilians, Opposition harassed and a surge of refugees between the nations (November 14.2016)

That there is civil-war like activity in Ogaden and Amhara regions in Ethiopia, that there continues internal skirmishes between Burundian security forces and civilians, that the Rwandan Opposition are silenced, In the Democratic Republic of Congo as there guerrillas fighting and killing while the FARDC and MONUSCO doesn’t act against civilians in North and South Kivu; As there are internal fighting between Somaliland, Galdumug, Al-Shabaab and AMISOM. This is all happening as we flick between the channels on the telly.

There we are discussing who’s the next racial biased brother Donald J. Trump thinking of hiring to his executive branch staff at the White House. This is happening while there continue bloodbath, there been genocide warnings for Burundi in October 2016 and South Sudan November 2016. South Sudan are skirmishes happening in Yei State, South Kordofan, West Bahr El Ghazal between SPLM/A and SPLM/A-IO, which is President Kiir and former FVP Machar. There are battles still in Darfur as the Khartoum regime under President Omar Al-Bashir are attacking the SPLM-N and other rebels who fight themselves in the past, but has no written an agreement while the Khartoum has said they will continue to fight them.

These are killings of civilians in with the mind of staying in power. It is happening with bullets that imported and exported from the rich nations, through back-channels that none of us want to discuss, because it implicates the nations of peace are involved in profits of the death of civilians. This is happening as we go to buy bread at the supermarket, markets for selling cassava and rice are blown to bits, water-sources are getting scarce as these nations are hurt by droughts and dire need of secure agricultural productions, but that is not happening while the big-men are explicitly doing what they can to kill each other for POWER.

The innocent is dying at rapid speed. The livelihoods are dwindling away because the Presidents and Government together with rebels are destroying the nations in their reach of staying with titles, businesses and feeding their elites of the donor funds. This is the situation in Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

We cannot let this happening while the fleeing civilians are going from one bad situation into another. If the Somalis think of fleeing to Ethiopia, they get into new trouble and Kenyan Government are busy deporting them to PoC sites inside Somalia. If you’re fleeing Ethiopia you have to cross the South Sudan and Sudan. Where the battles between the rivals continue and are bloody. The place of refuge right now is Northern Uganda, the war-torn parts that has had a decade of peace, but the locals are not getting land, but the refugees and businessmen. The reality is that the Government doesn’t have funds to allocate the Refugee camps in Adjumani where the UNICEF organization is lacking funds for support.

Together with the issues of Burundian refugees in Rwanda and Tanzania; the Burundian ones are safe in Tanzania, but still the UN operations doesn’t have the sufficient funds as there are more worry of what the Rwandese authorities do, as they want to send them away because the Burundian Authorities are claiming that Rwandese Government are training rebels to coup d’état against President Nkurunziza.

While the pulling out of ICC happens from Burundi, the Kenyan pulling troops from the UMISS, Ugandan negotiations in dialogue between the parties in Burundi and South Sudan; while the shallow relationships is to see how they all can grind monies out of the international community. The African Union complains to the European Union on payments for the soldiers, while the Ugandan and Burundian government eats of these funds, while the soldiers themselves thieving ammunition and gas to supply themselves with needed salaries.

All of this is happening while the Ethiopian Government has pulled out battalions out of certain areas in Somalia, as Kenyan have a strong force and feeling the pinch for being involved in the internal squabbles between Al-Shabaab, Government and Local-Government in war-torn nation. As Djibouti tries to live in peace, but get trained guerrillas from Eritrea and has built a railroad from Ethiopia so that the coastal state has giant ally on the Horn of Africa.

So the civil wars, the skirmishes from governments towards civilians shouldn’t be happening without anyone doing something about it. The Ethiopian, Burundian, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan are now all involved in similar business. The Troika of South Sudan is inactive and like a donor-friendly buddy to Kiir Government, but not certainly acting upon the violence and crimes against humanity. The Sudan government might be under sanctions and has issues with ICC charged President Bashir. Still, they are able to continue to fight civilians in the Darfur Region. The Somali Government feels more powerless as they are donor-friendly and need foreign support for basic operations, while the Al-Shabaab takes stake in every other region, as the Puntland, Galdumug and Somaliland has become more independent and making agreement on their own. As Somaliland have signed giant port-agreement to secure funding of the Civilian Government; also so they can function as nation on their own, though not respected as one from the international community.

This is just the beginning, and it’s not wonderful, it’s bleak… the warnings of GENOCIDE should worry the world in Burundi and South Sudan. But, the current silence, the mediocre attention and no-worries attitude. Is making me shiver and making me worried about the state of affairs in our time!

That there are such current state of affairs, the diplomatic works must be in tatters, the African Union is pointless, the East African Community is a Men’s Club for the Presidents, European Union are stooges for big-business, IGAD are Ethiopian skeleton for peaceful operations and the United Nations are powerless with no-mandate or real army to act upon the human rights violations or crimes against humanity if they are occurring.

It’s a reason why these nations want to withdraw from the Roman Statute if they can and still get donor-aid because the armies, laws and regulations of the civilians are massive breaches of international laws. The Geneva Conventions, the UN Charters and the other ones these Nations have signed into.

While the worst is having knowledge of the dying civilians in South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi and Somalia as we speak, the silence and indifference… time to act; time for change and time get it on the agenda. Peace.

Burundi: EU renews sanctions until 31 October 2017 (20.09.2016)

These measures consist of a travel ban and asset freeze against four persons whose activities were deemed to be undermining democracy or obstructing the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 20, 2016 – On 20 September 2016, the Council renewed the EU restrictive measures against Burundi until 31 October 2017. These measures consist of a travel ban and asset freeze against four persons whose activities were deemed to be undermining democracy or obstructing the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi. These activities include acts of violence, repression or incitement to violence, and acts which constitute serious human rights violations.

The EU has repeatedly and continuously called on all parties to refrain from, and to condemn, any acts of violence. This is essential if the conditions for progress in the search for a political solution to the crisis are to be put in place and maintained.

The Council considered that the absence of progress in the situation regarding the four persons under restrictive measures justified the prolongation of the sanctions.

The names of the persons concerned and the reasons for listing them are included in the annex to the decision of 1 October 2015 published in the Official Journal.

295 000 refugees flee violence in Burundi (Youtube-Clip)

“A year after political violence erupted in Burundi, nearly 300 000 people have fled to neighboring Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo. More than half of those fleeing are women and children who must start their lives over in foreign lands with little more than the basic necessities they fled with.  Life in the refugee camps is a daily challenge for women and girls. They face not only food shortage and poverty, but also higher rates of sexual and domestic violence, and increased chances of early marriage. UN Women sets up “Safe Spaces” in refugee camps to offer income opportunities and business training for women, as well as psycho-social counselling and trauma assistance” (United Nations, 2016)

Statement by Adama Dieng, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on the situation in Burundi (25.08.2016)

Adama Dieng, expressed his concern at inflammatory statements by public officials that could constitute incitement to violence including, most recently, by a senior official of the ruling CNDD-FDD political party.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 25, 2016 – The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, expressed his concern at inflammatory statements by public officials that could constitute incitement to violence including, most recently, by a senior official of the ruling CNDD-FDD political party.
In a statement on 16 August 2016 that was published on the CNDD-FDD website, Pascal Nyabenda, who was at the time President of the CNDD-FDD party and President of the National Assembly, suggested that the genocide in Rwanda was a fabrication of the international community, (“montages genocidaires contre le Gouvernement dit Hutu de Kigali”) that was used to remove the Hutu government that was in place at the time.
“This irresponsible statement could be interpreted as genocide denial”, Mr. Dieng said, “and has the potential to inflame ethnic tensions, both within Burundi and outside its borders”.  At the 20 August meeting of the party, a new head of the CNDD-FDD was appointed but Mr. Nyabenda continues in his role as President of the National Assembly.

The situation in Burundi continues to be marred by instability and reports of serious human rights violations, including allegations of extra-judicial killings, disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention of members of the opposition, civil society and those suspected of opposing the Government. Human rights defenders and journalists are among the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the country since April 2015.

In its concluding observations, issued on 11 August 2016 following a special report submitted at the request of the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT), the Committee’s international experts expressed deep concern over the hundreds of reports of torture received and called for investigations into all cases of killings, enforced disappearances and other violence motivated by the ethnic origin of the victim. The Committee urged the Burundian Government to refrain from making any public statements that could exacerbate ethnic tensions or incite violence or hatred and to ensure that public and law enforcement officials do not accept or tolerate such acts by other groups.

Special Adviser Dieng also raised concern that the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD party, known as the Imbonerakure, continues to be associated with human rights abuses and is reported to have threatened ethnic violence. He noted that the Minister of the Interior of Burundi had confirmed that the Imbonakure formed part of the national security strategy, as the CAT also pointed out in its concluding observations.

Special Adviser Dieng reminded the Government of Burundi of its obligation to protect its populations, regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliation, and to refrain from any action or discourse that could inflame ethnic tensions. He highlighted the importance of countering such messages with alternative speech to foster unity rather than further entrench divisions,  and called on all parties to prioritize inclusive dialogue to bring about an end to the protracted crisis.