12 YEARS AGO, THE NTEGA AND MARANGARA GENOCIDE HAD AN AMNESTY, AND NOW, ON THE EVE OF ARUSHA ACCORDS, THERE IS ANOTHER ONE HANGING UP...

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 15, 2000 (NET PRESS). ON 24 AUGUST, 1998, 10 DAYS AFTER NTEGA AND MARANGARA GENOCIDE, PRESIDENT PIERRE BUYOYA HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE  IN THE CONGRESS  PALACE OF KIGOBE AND DECLARED: "A FACT-FINDING COMMITTEE HAS BEEN SET UP TO ESTABLISH THE RESPONSIBILITIES. PEOPLE FOUND RESPONSIBLE SHALL BE PROSECUTED BEFORE COURTS AND TRIBUNALS, AND THE SANCTIONS SHALL BE MATCHING THE CRIMES COMMITTED AND ABIDING TO BURUNDI LAWS".  TWO YEARS LATER, ON 30 AUGUST 1990, THE SAME PRESIDENT BUYOYA PROMULGATED THE DECREE-LAW NUMBER 1/034/90 GRANTING AMNESTY TO NTEGA AND MARANGARA HANGMEN, NAMELY THE PALIPEHUTU GENOCIDERS; THE THEN GOVERNMENT LEAD BY ADRIEN SIBOMANA AND PIERRE BUYOYA SAID THE DECISION WAS "REACHED FOR THE SAKE OF THE HIGHEST INTERESTS OF THIS NATION".  AMNESTY WAS THUS GRANTED TO 71 PERSONS AMONG WHOM "AUTHORS, CO-AUTHORS OR ACCOMPLICES OF OFFENSES COMMITTED DURING THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE COMMUNES OF NTEGA AND MARANGARA IN AUGUST 1988" WHO WERE NUMBERING 51, WHILE 20 OTHERS WERE THE POOR  MUSKETEERS OF MARCH 1989 PROSECUTED FOR SEEMINGLY HAVING ATTEMPTED TO "TOPPLE THE INSTITUTIONS BY VIOLENCE, PHYSICALLY ELIMINATION OF LEADERS ATTENDING MILITARY CELEBRATIONS" (LETTER TO SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS, NUMBER 30 DATED  SEPTEMBER 1, 1990 ; "LETTRE AUX CADRES" USED TO BE A COMMUNICATION TOOL FOR THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE WHEN ADRIEN SIBOMANA WAS BURUNDI'S PREMIER).

BUYOYA'S WORDS AT THAT PRESS CONFERENCE WERE STRONGLY CONTRASTING WITH THE AMNESTY DECIDED UPON : THAT THE SANCTION MATCHING THE OFFENSES COMMITTED ? THIS IS WHAT WERE WONDERING SURVIVORS OF THE GENOCIDE OF NTEGA AND MARANGARA. THE SAME ABOVE-MENTIONNED "LETTRE AUX CADRES", IN ITS RELEASE NUMBER 30, WAS QUALIFYING THE AUTHORS OF THE PALIPEHUTU MASSACRES AGAINST TUTSI PEOPLE LIVING IN THE 2 COMMUNES AS "POLITICAL PRISONNERS", EXACTLY WHAT PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA IS SAYING TODAY WHEN HE IS SPEAKING OF THE AUTHORS OF OCTOBER 1993 GENOCIDE ACTUALLY DETAINED IN BURUNDI PRISONS.

NTEGA AND MARANGARA MASSACRES CONSTITUTE A GENOCIDE OF WHICH PALIPEHUTU PARTY IS HELD RESPONSIBLE. IT HAD BEEN CAREFULLY PREPARED AND WAS AIMED AT EXTERMINATING ALL TUTSI PEOPLE AND THAT IS SUBSTANTIATED BY FACTS.

AS EARLY AS APRIL 1988, UNDERGROUND MEETINGS AND SUBVERSIVE LEAFLETS STIRRING RACIAL HATRED AND THE EXTERMINATION OF TUTSI PEOPLE WERE QUITE COMMON IN THE COMMUNES OF MARANGARA, KIREMBA AND TANGARA, IN NGOZI PROVINCE. IN THE COMMUNE OF TANGARA, HUTU YOUNG MEN WERE MASSIVELY GOING TO NEIGHBOURING RWANDA TO GET INSTRUCTIONS, AND THAT MOVE WAS ESPECIALLY OBSERVED ON MAY 1, 1988. DURING THAT MONTH, WATER SOURCES AND CROPS WERE DESTROYED IN NORTHERN PROVINCES AND THESE DESTRUCTIONS WERE ALLEGEDLY ATTRIBUTED TO TUTSI PEOPLE. EVEN PRESIDENT BUYOYA'S SPEECH DELIVERED ON MAY 1, 1988 WAS MISUSED AS ENCOURAGING TUTSI PEOPLE TO MASSACRE HUTU PEOPLE, AND TELLING TUTSI PEOPLE TO  ALWAYS STAY ON THEIR GUARD IN ORDER TO BE PREPARED TO FACE ANY POTENTIAL THREAT (SEE PALIPEHUTU COMMUNIQUE NUMBER 6). PRESIDENT BUYOYA HAD DECLARED THAT THE 3rd REPUBLIC WAS GOING TO DECISIVELY FIGHT THOSE WHO ADVOCATE DIVISION. THE PALIPEHUTU  PARTY HAD THEN CALLED ON HUTU PEOPLE WHOM IT WAS TERMING AS  "DEAR BROTHERS, GENUINE BURUNDIANS", TO "WAKE UP", AND  TO MASSACRE TUTSI PEOPLE AS A PREVENTIVE MEASURE.

ON MAY 15, 1988, INDOCTRINATION RESULTS ARE ALREADY VISIBLE : AN UPRISING OF THE POPULATION CARRYING KNIVES ON ONE HILL IN THE COMMUNE OF KIREMBA, NGOZI PROVINCE, SEVERAL SUBVERSIVE MEETINGS ARE REPORTED TO THE ADMINISTRATOR  OF THE COMMUNES OF MARANGARA, MR. EMMANUEL KAJAMBERE. ON AUGUST 4, 1988, HE SOUGHT THE ASSISTANCE OF NGOZI PROVINCE LEADERS FOLLOWING AN INCREASE OF  NIGHT UNDERGROUND MEETINGS. AND WHEN THE THEN NGOZI GOVERNOR, MR. CYMAQUE KOBAKO SENT OVER A 11-STRONG UNIT OF GENDARMES, THEY, ON THEIR WAY BACK, CAME ACROSS A BARRAGE ON  THE  ROAD ERECTED BY OVER 50 ARMED AMBUSHED YOUNGSTERS WHO EVEN INJURED ONE GENDARME.

HUTU PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNE OF MARANGARA DEMANDED THAT ALL TUTSI OFFICIALS INCLUDING THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE COMMUNE, A RWANDA-BORN MEDICAL ASSISTANT AND A JUDGE QUIT THE COMMUNE. COMMUNE AGRONOMISTS, PRIMARY SCHOOL HEADMASTERS AND OTHER HUTU OFFICIALS WERE NOT WORRIED AT ALL SINCE THEY WERE PALIPEHUTU PROPAGANDISTS.

IN THE COMMUNE OF NTEGA, KIRUNDO PROVINCE, THE PREVAILING ACTIVISM DID NOT SEEM TO BE THAT WORRYSOME, BUT THE MASSACRES BEGAN THERE. AS EARLY AS AUGUST 13, 1988, NUMEROUS LEAFLETS INUNDATED THE COMMUNE AND THEY WERE CALLING ON RESISTING AGAINST AN ALLEGED CERTAIN ATTACK ORGANIZED BY TUTSI PEOPLE. FROM THAT DAY, VIOLENCES AGAINST TUTSI REACHED AN UNPRECEDENTED POINT AND A SOLDIER ON LEAVE HAS EVEN BEEN SERIOUSLY WOUNDED AND EVACUATED  TO KIRUNDO HOSPITAL. ON AUGUST 14, 1988, A TOURISTIC DAY IS CELEBRATED IN KIRUNDO.  AS EARLY AS 21 O'CLOCK, HUTU INSURGENTS ATTACK A TRADER WHOSE NAME  WAS REVERIEN HARUSHINGORO AND WHO HAS FINALLY BEEN KILLED BY THEM. HENCE STARTING THE GENOCIDE THE DEATHTOLL WAS OF 3,000 TUTSI IN THAT COMMUNE IN AN INTERVAL OF LESS THAN 2 DAYS. IN THE COMMUNE OF MARANGARA, THE GENOCIDE CAMPAIGN STARTED LATER ON 15 AUGUST, 1988.

A HORDE OF PALIPEHUTU KILLERS ARRIVED FROM NEIGHBOURING NTEGA COMMUNE, KIRUNDO PROVINCE  AND SET FIRE TO MARANGARA COMMUNE, NGOZI PROVINCE : "EVERYBODY MUST BE  FORCEFULLY ENROLLED AND ALL TUTSI  BE KILLED" COMMANDED THE HEAD OF MASAMA HILL. THEY WERE SETTING FIRE TO EVERYTHING AND KILLING ALL TUTSI ENCOUNTERED. THAT RAMPAGE LASTED SEVERAL DAYS IN MARANGARA COMMUNE AND OVER 2,000 TUTSI ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MASSACRED ON AUGUST 15, 2000. AS PRESIDENT BUYOYA WAS IN BRAZZAVILLE TO ATTEND THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE "3 GLORIOUS" FROM WHICH HE ARRIVED TOO LATE ON AUGUST 16, 1988 IN THE MORNING, THERE WAS SOME DELAY IN ARMY'S  INTERVENTION.

THE GENOCIDE OF NTEGA AND MARANGARA IS YET TO BE PUNISHED AND IT HAS BEEN OPENING THE WAY TO OTHERS THAT WILL ALSO BE GIVEN AMNESTIED. NOVEMBER 1991 IN BUJUMBURA, BUBANZA AND CIBITOKE WAS ALSO AMNESTY, IN SEPTEMBER 1993, WHILE THE PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OCTOBER 1993 GENOCIDE ARE TODAY GOING TO BE GRANTED AMNESTY BY ARUSHA ACCORDS. BURUNDI IS DEFINITELY A PARADISE FOR UNPUNISHED GENOCIDE CRIMES, HISTORY SCHOLARS SHALL WRITE SOME DAY.

BURUNDI - NEGOTIATIONS.

BARUNDI NEGOTIATORS FORCED TO SIGN  ARUSHA ACCORDS ON 28 AUGUST, 2000.

ARUSHA, AUGUST 15, 2000 (NET PRESS). ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT RELIABLE SOURCES, THE MEDIATOR IN THE BURUNDI CONFLICT, PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA, HAS FORCED BARUNDI NEGOTIATORS TO SIGN THE PEACE ACCORDS ON 28 AUGUST, 2000 AT ARUSHA. ABOUT 20 PRESIDENTS ARE INVITED TO TAKE PART IN THE SIGNING CEREMONIES AND A 40-PERSON AMERICAN DELEGATION IS ALREADY READY TO GET DOWN AT ARUSHA, SAID THE SAME SOURCES. PRESIDENT MANDELA HAS ALLEGEDLY NOTICED THAT DISCUSSING ISSUES ON WHICH A CONSENSUS HAS NOT BEEN REACHED WOULD BE A WASTE OF TIME. HENCE, IN HIS OPINION, THERE IS NO MORE NEED TO POSTPONE AGAIN THE SIGNING DATE OF ARUSHA ACCORDS. INITIALLY, BARUNDI NEGOTIATORS WERE TO SIGN THEM ON 20 JULY, 2000 BUT SOME OF THEM HAD REFUSED TO SIGN PRETENDING THAT THE DRAFT ACCORD WAS NOT BALANCED AND THAT IT WAS ALLEGEDLY MAINLY REFLECTING THE G 7 PROPOSALS.

THE ISSUE RELATING TO TRANSITION HAS ALSO BEEN RAISED ONCE MORE. THE G7 HAS ALREADY NOMINATED ITS OWN CANDIDATE TO RULE DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD, NAMELY MR. DOMITIEN NDAYIZEYE, CURRENT FRODEBU SECRETARY GENERAL, MINANI-OBEDIENT WING. ON ITS PART, THE PARENA PARTY HAS GOT A CANDIDATE OF ITS OWN, NAMELY FORMER BURUNDI PRESIDENT, MR. JEAN-BAPTISTE BAGAZA, WHILE AMBASSADOR TERENCE NSANZE OF ABASA PARTY IS ALSO  CANDIDATE, BUT HIS PARTY IS YET TO OFFICIALIZE HIS CANDIDACY.  ON HIS PART, CNDD LEADER, MR. LEONARD NYANGOMA, SOUGHT THE G7 SUPPORT FOR BUYOYA'S CANDIDACY, BUT TO NO AVAIL.

BURUNDI - SECURITY.

KIGOMA-BASED TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS TO ATTACK GIHARO COMMUNE.

RUTANA, AUGUST 15, 2000 (NET PRESS). ACCORDING TO RUTANA LOCAL SOURCES, APPROXIMATELY 2,000 TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS ARE REPORTEDLY READY TO ATTACK THE COMMUNE OF GIHARO, RUTANA PROVINCE. THE SAME SOURCES SAY THE TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS ARE BASED AT JINDI, KASURU DISTRICT (TANZANIA, 5 KM OFF BURUNDI BORDER) AND REVOLVE AROUND THE FRONTIER AIMING AT LAUNCHING AN ULTIMATE ASSAULT AGAINST THAT COMMUNE.

THE POPULATION OF GIHARO WHICH IS A WITNESS OF THIS SITUATION WOULD LIKE TO CROSS THE BORDER TO RECOVER ITS  PROPERTY LOOTED BY GENOCIDERS REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION RULES  FORBIDDING TO VIOLATE  FRONTIERS.  AS FOR THE TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS, THEY CONTINUE TO DESPOIL THE POPULATION'S PROPERTY AND, THIS SUNDAY NIGHT ON AUGUST 13, 2000 THEY STOLE MANY GOATS AND SET FIRE TO OVER 4 HOUSES AT KAYERO, MPINGA-KAYOVE COMMUNE. LOCAL SOURCES POINT OUT THAT IN BOTH CASES, NO CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THREATS TO ATTACK  BUTARE AND BIGAGA, COMMUNE OF BUKEMBA, ARE BECOMING A REALITY. IN FACT, LEAFLETS SPREAD THROUGHOUT  BOTH PLACES BY THE TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS ARE WARNING THAT ATTACKS MIGHT BE LAUNCHED AGAINST THAT POPULATION ON FRIDAY 18, 2000. LOCAL SOURCES ALSO POINT OUT THAT TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS INFILTRATED BUGA, KAYOGORO COMMUNE, MAKAMBA PROVINCE, ON SATURDAY NIGHT TO DESTABILIZE KAYOGORO AND NEIGHBOURING COMMUNES.

BURUNDI - COOPERATION.

GERMANY ABOUT TO "RESUME" COOPERATION WITH BURUNDI.

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 15, 2000 (NET PRESS). A GERMAN DELEGATION LEAD BY COUNTESS HELGA GRAFIN STRACHWITZ, DIRECTOR OF AFRICA DEPARTMENT IN THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND ACCOMPANIED BY GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO BURUNDI WITH RESIDENCE IN NAIROBI, IS TO VISIT BURUNDI ON AUGUST 17-19, 2000. DURING HER 3-DAY STAY, COUNTESS HELGA GRAFIN STRACHWITZ IS EXPECTED TO HOLD MEETINGS WITH THE TOPMOST LEADERS OF THIS COUNTRY, INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, THE SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, THE 1st VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, THE MINISTER FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COOPERATION, THE MINISTER FOR THE PEACE PROCESS AND THE MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND MINES, WHO ARE ALL IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE TIME BEING AND FROM WHERE THEY WILL COME ONLY AUGUST 18, 2000.

ACCORDING TO WELL-INFORMED SOURCES, THE GERMAN DELEGATION WISHES TO GET INFORMATION  ON THE "ACTUAL STAGE" SO FAR REACHED IN THE ARUSHA PEACE PROCESS EVEN IF, OFFICIALLY, IT WILL BE COMING TO HAVE "CONSULTATIONS WITH BURUNDI GVT". IN FACT,  IT SEEMS THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF GERMANY MIGHT BE READY TO "RELAUNCH" COOPERATION WITH BURUNDI IN THE AFTERMATH OF ARUSHA ACCORDS.

BURUNDI - DEMONSTRATION.

THE ASSOCIATION "PA-AMASEKANYA" TO DEMONSTRATE.

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 15, 2000 (NET PRESS). THE ORGANIZATION OF SELF-DEFENCE "PA-AMASEKANYA" HAS CALLED ON "BARUNDI PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM THE GENOCIDE DESIGNED AND CARRIED OUT BY THE GENOCIDAL FRODEBU PARTY..." TO COME IN LARGE NUMBER TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY REFUSE THE GENOCIDE OF TUTSI PEOPLE AND THE MASSACRE OF HUTU PEOPLE NOT SUPPORTING THE IDEOLOGY OF GENOCIDE SUPERVISED BY THE INCUMBENT GOVERNMENT AND "KIGOBE" NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DOMINATED BY THE FRODEBU PARTY". "PA-AMASEKANYA" IS SETTING THE DEMONSTRATION FOR SATURDAY 19, AUGUST 2000 AND THE START WILL BE AT "PLACE DE L'INDEPENDANCE" FROM 8,30 O'CLOCK. THE ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN WHO IS CONVEYING THIS APPEAL TOLD "NET PRESS" THAT ANY ABSENCE AT THE DEMONSTRATION SHALL BE CONSIDERED TO BE AN ACT OF COOPERATION WITH THE FRODEBU PARTY AND A SUPPORT TO THE GENOCIDE OF TUTSI PEOPLE AND THE MASSACRE OF HUTU PEOPLE WHO ARE PATRIOTS".