BURUNDI - NEGOTIATIONS.

AN ATMOSPHERE OF  TOTAL DISARRAY IS SURROUNDING THE SIGNING OF ARUSHA ACCORDS.

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 27, 2000 (NET PRESS). ON  THE EVE OF "D" DAY OF THE SIGNING OF ARUSHA "PEACE ACCORDS", SOME BARUNDI CITIZENS DO HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, BWIZA ZONE GENOCIDE SURVIVORS THINK THAT NOTHING GOOD WILL COME OUT OF ARUSHA, BECAUSE THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE INCUMBENT LEADERSHIP IS FAR FROM BEING COMPATIBLE WITH THE SEARCH FOR PEACE. INDEED, ACCORDING TO THE COMMUNIQUE RELEASED AND SIGNED BY OVER ONE HUNDRED OF THOSE GENOCIDE SURVIVORS, THE INCUMBENT GOVERNMENT IS JAILING THOSE WHO FIGHT GENOCIDE INSTEAD OF BACKING THEM UP AND THE COMMUNIQUE MENTIONS ENGINEER DIOMEDE RUTAMUCERO AND DOCTOR PIERRE-CLAVER HAJAYANDI. THUS, THE GENOCIDE SURVIVORS CALL ON  ANY PERSON OF GOODWILL AND ALL   ETHNIC GROUPS TO DENOUNCE THE SIGNING OF THESE ACCORDS AND DEMAND THAT THE TWO DETAINEES AND THEIR OTHER COMPANIONS OF MISFORTUNE BE RELEASED.  SO AS FOR THE COALITION FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE RULE OF LAW IN BURUNDI, THEIR DECLARATION ENTITLED "WHEN PEACE IS CAUSING FEARS", POINTS OUT THAT THOSE ACCORDS, WHETHER SIGNED OR NOT, "ARE ONLY ANOTHER STEP AHEAD TOWARDS THE SHAMEFUL ENTERPRISE OF INSTITUTIONNALIZING ETHNIC RACISM AND GENOCIDE". THE PARTIES MEMBERS OF THE "ACCORD-CADRE" COALITION ADD THAT THE ONLY VIABLE PEACE PROCESS MUST TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE IDENTIFICATION, THE CONDEMNATION AND THE ERADICATION OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF GENOCIDE AND GENOCIDAL ORGANIZATIONS.

FOR THE POPULATION OF BUJUMBURA CITY, IT IS AT A LOSS. LEAFLETS CALLING ON A STOPPING ALL ACTIVITIES THIS MONDAY AUGUST 28, 2000 UNTIL 10 O'CLOCK, ARE BEING CIRCULATED THROUGHOUT THE CAPITAL-CITY. WORKERS DO NOT KNOW YET IF THEY WILL GO TO WORK TOMORROW. NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE AFTERMATH OF ARUSHA. SOME PARENTS HAVE EVEN STOPPED BUYING NOTEBOOKS FOR THEIR SCHOOLCHILDREN WHO DOUBT WHETHER SCHOOLS WILL BE OPENING EARLIER SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, FOR THEY ARE NOT SURE IF THEY WILL SURVIVE UNTIL THAT TIME. DURING THIS WEEK-END, FEW PEOPLE LEFT FOR THE COUNTRYSIDE FEARING POSSIBLE MISADVENTURES SUBSEQUENT TO THE SIGNING OF ARUSHA ACCORDS ON AUGUST 28, 2000.  IN SHORT, EVERY BODY IS IN DESPAIR, NOT CERTAIN OF WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN ON THE FOLLOWING DAY.

HOWEVER, AT KAMENGE "CENTRE JENES KAMENGE" -KAMENGE YOUNGSTERS' CENTER- PEOPLE ARE REJOYCING : "WE ARE LIVING WONDERFUL MOMENTS NOW. WE ARE FINALLY ON THE EVE OF A PEACE ACCORD. WE INVITE EVERYBODY TO WEAR A WHITE RIBBON ON THE WRIST TO SAY "YES" TO PEACE AND "NO" TO VIOLENCE". THE "CENTRE JEUNES KAMENGE" DECLARATION FINALLY SAYS : "WE WISH TO REQUEST YOU TO DREAM WITH US OF THE SIGNING OF THE PEACE ACCORD ON AUGUST 28, 2000 AND OF THE VENUE OF A NEW LIFE IN BURUNDI". THE SAME FEELINGS ARE SHARED WITH NZOJIBWAMI WING OF FRODEBU THAT CONSIDERS THE SIGNING OF THE PEACE ACCORD AS "A BREAKTHROUGH TOWARDS A  FINAL PEACE ACCORD" AND RECOMMENDS "TO COMPLETE THE ARUSHA PROCESS WHICH HAS LASTED TOO LONG".

IT IS ALSO TO BE NOTED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN REACTIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN THE COURSE OF US PRESIDENT'S VISIT, BILL CLINTON, IN NIGERIA, HIS AFRICAN AFFAIRS' ADVISER, MS. GAYLE SMITH DECLARED TO "AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE"  (AFP)  THAT EVEN IN THE CASE OF AN ACCORD BEING SIGNED, THE BURUNDI CONFLICT "IS NOT GOING TO BE SOLVED NEXT WEEK OR NEXT MONTH OR  NEXT YEAR", ADDING THAT "IT IS A VERY COMPLEX CONFLICT REQUIRING A LOT OF TIME FOR TO BE SOLVED". FURTHERMORE, MS. GAYLE SMITH POINTS OUT THAT IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THE SIGNING OF THE ACCORDS IS NOT CERTAIN, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON SHALL JOIN IN THIS MONDAY SO AS TO ASSIST PRESIDENT MANDELA TO "ENHANCE THE PROGRESS MADE SO FAR AND CONVEY TO BARUNDI PEOPLE THE MESSAGE RELATING TO THE PROGRESS THEY HAVE REACHED, THAT WE BACK THEM UP AND THAT VIOLENCE SHALL COME TO AN END ".

BURUNDI - PEACE PROCESS.

TWO OPEN LETTERS TO PRESIDENT BUYOYA.

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 27, 2000 (NET PRESS). BURUNDIANS LIVING BOTH  INSIDE AND OUTSIDE BURUNDI HAVE JUST SENT OPEN LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, MR. PIERRE BUYOYA.

BARUNDI LIVING INSIDE BURUNDI WROTE IN THEIR LETTER SIGNED BY 381 PERSONS TO DENOUNCE THE VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURUNDI AND ACCUSE THE PRESIDENT OF BEARING SOME RESPONSIBILITY.

THE SECOND LETTER WAS SIGNED BY REPRESENTATIVES OF BARUNDI NATIONALS LIVING OVERSEAS INVOLVED IN FIGHTING GENOCIDE. IT DEPICTED THE NATURE OF THE CRISIS PREVAILING IN BURUNDI AND WAS CAUTIONING  PRESIDENT BUYOYA AGAINST ANY INITIATIVE OF SIGNING THE PEACE ACCORDS AS THEY WERE WORDED, EVEN PARTLY, UNLESS HE WANTED TO BEAR HISTORIC RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH A CATASTROPHE WITH AN UNIMAGINABLE IMPACT". (SEE BOTH LETTERS ON "NET PRESS" SITE "RUGAMBA", RUBRIC "AGORA").

BURUNDI - DETENTION.

COSYBU AND PA-AMASEKANYA CHAIRMEN  STILL IN JAIL - "ILLEGAL ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS", SAY MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES.

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 27, 2000 (NET PRESS). WHILE THE MEDIATION IS ABOUT TO HAVE THE ARUSHA ACCORDS SIGNED, 2 OUTSTANDING FIGURES  FIERCELY OPPOSED TO THEM ARE JAILED SINCE 10 DAYS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT CELLS OF GENDARMERIE BSR (SPECIAL INVESTIGATION CENTER) FOR HAVING CALLED PEOPLE TO RESPOND TO A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE ARUSHA PROCESS AND AN UNLIMITED STRIKE.

RELATIVES OF BOTH LEADERS DENOUNCE "ILLEGAL" AND "ARBITRARY" ASPECT OF ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS. ACCORDING TO A MEMBER OF MR. DIOMEDE RUTAMUCERO'S FAMILY, "THE NEW CODE OF PENAL PROCEDURE PROVIDES THAT THE SENTENCE FOR AN OFFENCE OF ORGANIZING A DEMONSTRATION IS A MAXIMUM OF A 6-MONTH IMPRISONMENT, WHILE, ARTICLE 9 OF THE SAME CODE PROVIDES THAT FOR AN OFFENCE OF LESS THAN ONE YEAR OF IMPRISONMENT, ONE CAN NOT BE DEPRIVED OF HIS FREEDOM BEFORE HE IS CONVICTED". ACCORDING TO THE SAME SOURCE, THAT ARREST IS AN ILL ONE  SINCE IT WAS CARRIED OUT WITHOUT WARRANT OR SUMMON. FURTHERMORE, ACCORDING TO THE NEW CODE, THE SAID PREVENTIVE DETENTION CAN NOT "EXCEED 7 DAYS UNLESS LEGAL PROROGATION IS ISSUED BY   PROSECUTION".

ACCORDING TO ONE OF DR. PIERRE-CLAVER HAJAYANDI'S RELATIVES,  THE  SITUATION IS SIMILAR : "THE POLICE INSPECTOR HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO QUALIFY THE OFFENCE OF DR. HAJAYANDI, RUTAMUCERO'S AS WELL, AND BOTH ARE JAILED SINCE A WEEK AGO AND THERE HAS BEEN NO INTERROGATION UP TO NOW. THEY HAVE LITTERALY BEEN TAKEN HOSTAGE BY THE INCUMBENT GOVERNMENT". THAT RELATIVE OF DR. HAJAYANDI WONDERED WHY THE TWO PERSONS ARE STILL IN DETENTION WHILE THEIR OPINIONS ARE KNOWN SINCE LONG AGO, AND ADDED THAT THEY ARE DETAINED IN "VERY BAD CONDITIONS IN THE COMPANY OF SMALL BANDITS AND HOOLIGANS OF ALL KIND. THEY HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED AND SUBJECT TO RUTHLESSNESS TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY NOW SUFFER CONSTANT HEADACHE, WHILE GENOCIDERS ARE GOING TO BE CROWNED AT ARUSHA".

BURUNDI - DETENTION.

184 BURUNDI UNIVERSITY  SURVIVORS OF THE GENOCIDE DEMAND "IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONNAL" RELEASE OF THE "PATRIOTS" HAJAYANDI AND RUTAMUCERO.

BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 27, 2000 (NET PRESS). 184 BURUNDI UNIVERSITY  STUDENTS  HAVE JUST RELEASED A COMMUNIQUE IN WHICH THEY CALL ON THE "IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONNAL RELEASE" OF "THE PATRIOTS" HAJAYANDI AND RUTAMUCERO" ACCUSED OF HAVING CALLED THE POPULATION TO DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THE GENOCIDE OF TUTSI PEOPLE" AND "INNOCENT STUDENTS SUSPECTED OF HAVING OBSERVED THAT MOVEMENT AND WHO ARE SUBJECTED TO INHUMAN TORTURE WITHOUT REASON". THESE STUDENTS AFFIRM NOT TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE GOVERNMENT IS STUBBORNLY PERSECUTING "PEOPLE WHO FIGHT GENOCIDE THROUGH PEACEFUL ACTIONS" REFUSING THE COMPLETION OF GENOCIDE THROUGH ARUSHA ACCORDS .