Burundi-independence.

belgian deputy premier, Mr. LOUIS MICHEL Promissing TO PLEAD BURUNDI’S CAUSE BEFORE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

BUJUMBURA, July 2, 2000(Net press). Belgian deputy premier and minister for foreign affairs, Mr. louis michel on visit here at the occasion of burundi 38th anniversary of independence pledged to plead burundi’S CAUSE BEFORE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS LAST SATURDAY JULY 1, 2000 AS HE HAS BEEN DOING IT BEFORE THE EUROPEAN UNION : “ THE ARUSHA Agreement MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY ASSISTANCE TOTHE RECONSTRUCTION OF THIS NICE COUNTRY ”, SAID MINISTER LOUIS MICHEL WHO DOES NOT MAKE ANY LINKAGE BETWEEN THESE ACCORDS AND THE RENEWAL OF COOPERATION AND WHO RECALLED THAT OVER TWO MONTHS THIS WAS HIS SECOND VISIT TO BURUNDI, to show that he was especially attached to burundi. Minister louis michel arrived here from kinshasa where he had been attending the 40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE D.R of CONGO IN spITE OF BELGIAN PARLEMENTARIANS’s opposition to his visit. according to some westernsources , this deep interest in the region may be hiding minister louis michel’s personnal ambitions ,he is campaining so as to replaceitalian aldo ajello as european union’s special representative to the region.

as for president buyoya, he said that the peace agreement “ will be achieved soon ” and that “ nobody should be frightened ”, since the accords cannot be implemented unless all barundi peopleaccept them. it is to be pointed out that both president buyoya and minister louis micheldelivered their speech before an empty stadiumfled by all the demonstrators who had gone to get refreshments and who were disappointed for not being grantedeven a 10% salary increase dispiteseveral requests introduced by trade-unions.

however, army officers were decorated among them THE CHIEF of staff, Mr. vincent niyungeko who was promoted major general and many others promoted colonels. general vincent niyungeko thus becomes the 3rd ever general burundi has had after the late michel micombero the first ever burundi president who used to be lieutenant general and his chief of staff, major general thomas ndabemeye.

burundi - independance.

uprona followers (mukasi-WING) PROVE TO BE MORE VIGILANT THAN SECURITY FORCES AND place flowers on rwagasore’S GRAVE ...

bujumbura, july 2, 2000 (net press). yesterday july 1, MUKASI-WING’S UPRONA AND ITS FOLLOWERS and the members of the alliance for the restoration of the rule of law in burundi, the “ accord-cadre ” organized a 38th commemoration of independence of their own at nyakabiga uprona  where they at 10 o’clock. Gendarmes arrived around 11 o’clock to disperse them, but they refused to leave the place at 12 o’clock rented buses and light trucks started to take uprona and accord-cadre members to rwagasore’s mousoleum where gendarms dispatched them denied them the right to place their spray of flowers pretending that president buyoya had already done it on their behalf to which uprona people replied that buyoya was no more a uprona member since he has chosen to be the ally of the frodebu party. the celebrations went on at the rwagasore revolutionnary youth club - zone of ngagara where the panel included Mr. raphael horumpende on behalf of uprona, frederic bishahushi on behalf of uprona mayorship'S COMMITTEE AND FINALLY, CHARLES MUKASI, UPRONA CHAIRMAN? ALL EMPHASIZING that our independence for which we strived was “ likely to slip out of our hands ”.

this , sunday july 2, 2000, at 9 o’clock uprona members and followers, mukasi-wing, were able to place the spray of flowers on rwagasore’s grave where the first field force units (f.f.U.) arrived as late as 11 o’clock, thinking that uprona will arrive only at 12. at 9.20 minutes , those who were presentwent to clinique prince louis rwagasore where they gathered in front of rwagasore’s monument from where they attempted to go to la place de l’independance, but were prevented by gendarmes who had surounded the area.

burundi - urban matters.

the minister for public works and equipment is giving priority to frodebu outstanding members when allocating plots for housing.

bujumbura, july 2, 2000 (net press). it’s now common knowledge that allocating plots for housing is usually raising a lot of problems resulting from errors, done either purposely or not, but indulging officers involved in that business, giving plots to friends or relatives of theirs ignorering any form of regulations; cases of two people having two letters related to a single plot, or plots which are taken back so as to hand them over to one’s fried... or cases of plots allocated on an irregular basis by minister ntirampeba gaspard are common place, and a lot of complaints are being filed in relation to to the new site ofsororezo through a letter the said minister sent to the director general of ecosat (social compounds and plots allocating authority) and the dirctor general of urbanaffairs and habitat to see to itthat, if some extra plots were ever to be available at sororezo, the following people be given plots: “  mm jean-marie nduwabike, cleto ndikumagenge, pascal midende, obed nijimbere, jackson simbananiye, henri bukumbanya, leonidas havyarimana ”, all frodebu members. is it just a coincidence or done purposedly, one may ask himself a question , especially when the minister is allocating plots himself when there are services in charge and more to that the criteria required are not taken into account , since the people above-mentioned own already 3 to 4 houses. according to some sources, the new sites of kigobe and kibenga are likely to be managed in the same way.

burundi - conference.

once more self-defense pa-amasekanya is privented from holding its press conference by the police.

bujumbura, July 2, 2000 (net press). this sunday, july 2, 2000 sel-defence pa-amasekanya was expected to organize a press conference at nyakabiga uprona palace, zone of nyakabiga, bujumbura mayorship. Mr. diomede rutamucero, self-defense pa-amasekanya’s chairman was to chair the conference which he had planned to do june 25, 2000. for the first time according to local sources, the police were there at 7 o’clok to lock the hall and suround the compound. a lot of people were there waiting for Mr. rutamucero diomede who was told upon his arrival at 9, 45 o’clock by the commander of the gendarmes that the conference could not take place as he was instructed to forbid it. he also asked rutamucero to tell his followers to go home. self-defense pa-amasekanya asked his people to remain quiet and to be always prepared to fight against theamnesty of the genociders and to mobilize all the survivor of genocide to fight it by all means. he pledged to hold a conference at nyakabiga soon or later. the mass left the place singing amasekanya’s songs through nyakabiga tarmac road via the village s.o.s and the boulevard de l’independanse around state house from where gendarmes and intelligence police came in and started in beating the demonstrators and dispersed them.